


Acceleracers V: War Zone

by MercenaryWithoutBurdens



Series: Acceleracers: The Hybrid Conflict [1]
Category: Hot Wheels AcceleRacers
Genre: Big-Fuck-Off-Weapons, Car Accidents, Cyberpunk, Dark, Deconstruction, Drama & Romance, Female Anti-Hero, Gen, Kurt Wylde Angst, Maila's Big Goddamn List of War Crimes, Moral Ambiguity, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Romance, Science Fiction, The Kurt Wylde Punching Bag Experience, There Are No Good Guys Or Bad Guys, Unofficial Sequel, Utopia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-04-03 17:09:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 80,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14000727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercenaryWithoutBurdens/pseuds/MercenaryWithoutBurdens
Summary: Unofficial sequel to The Ultimate Race. The Racing Realms were about to begin again. A former human-turned-Drone becomes the leader of the Racing Drones, willing to capture Vert Wheeler and a rogue Racing Drone-turned Silencer at all costs. The Teku and Metal Maniacs ally themselves with the Silencerz to take on this new threat. This fic is darker in tone, deconstructing certain elements of the series, and creating a morally gray conflict throughout. Rated Teens and Up for violence, moderate language, and dark themes.





	1. Prologue and Secrets Revealed

**Originally posted on fanfiction.net.**

 

 

 

**A/N: DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hot Wheels Acceleracers.**

**So I decided to do an unofficial fifth part for Acceleracers, since the series never had the chance to properly conclude as well as being inspired by some theories surrounding the lore. I know there is another unofficial comic-book sequel in the works, titled The Edge. This is my personal take on how it would conclude, or at least continue.**

**I will be strongly faithful to the source material as I can while trying to add some of my own flavors.**

**Note that some of the scenes, especially in this chapter, are in an anachronic order. This is done deliberately to keep the flow of this fic smooth. Subsequent chapters will try to follow the timeline more consistently, save for potential flashback scenes.**

**Also, buckle your Teku/Metal Maniac seatbelts. This is going to be a long chapter. Others will be shorter.**

**Rated T for moderate language, violence, and dark themes.**

**I hope you enjoy this. And I hope to do it in a somewhat consistent basis.**

* * *

_I was just a Californian teenager, riding the waves and skating after school. I was a loner; after cancer took away my mother and my dad going off on missions in the military, skating and surfing were my escape. Soon, I was about to start driving._

_And on my sixteenth birthday, I got a lot more than what I bargained for. Dr. Peter Tezla recruited me along with thirty-four other drivers to participate in the World Race. The track took place_ in _Highway 35 in a different dimension created by the Accelerons, aliens from a different world._

_This was where I met drivers like Kurt Wylde and his brother Markie, Taro Kitano, Banjee Castillo, Brian Kadeem, and Lani Tam among others._

_Little did we know the dangers surrounding this race._

_Dr. Tezla wanted the Wheel of Power at the end of the track, but others wanted it for their own interests, including Gelorum and her Racing Drones.  
_

_Two years passed since the World Race. We soon discovered that the Wheel of Power was a gateway beyond Highway 35 to the Racing Realms, and our fight with the Drones escalated even further._

_The Drones fought ferociously, but in the end, I defeated Gelorum and became an Acceleracer. I had been given a chance to be among the ranks of the Accelerons, but I instead chose to help the people I cared about._

_To go from a surf rat to being recognized by the Accelerons was something I never thought would happen._

_And it was about to get even more unbelievable from here._

_These are our stories..._

* * *

_Prologue_  
_Chrome Realm_  
_Approximately seven months after the events of The Ultimate Race_  
_Vert Wheeler_

"Ugh, these realms just keep on getting better and better," I growled, observing the mirror-like surroundings through Reverb's shattered windshield while a chrome ball rolled erratically around the floor on the passenger's side. "Team, if any of these reflections move, take evasive action!"

"Vert, we have Racing Drones on our tail!" Maila shouted.

"How many?"

"You don't want to know," Dresden remarked.

I saw through my left mirror a barrage of green energy bombs scatter across the track before one of them broke off my mirror, leaving fiery green embers in the wake. I turned on the rearview camera on the right side of my dashboard.

The area was a total war zone. Dozens of light Racing Drone vehicles followed by four heavier vehicles pursued close to Maila's Octainium, Dresden's Covelight, Banjee's Anthracite, and Alec's Accelium. Two Sweepers trailed, looming as if one light touch off the gas pedal meant death. How the Teku and Metal Maniacs managed to grab Markie out of the Racing Drones's Headquarters was beyond me.

"Vert, we'll take on the Drones. You focus on winning the race!" Maila said.

I heard four high-frequency screams of EMP bursts coming from my wingmates' cars. "You better finish this race in one piece!" I said.

Two Racing Drone jets hovered above me, energy bombs charging. "Two can play at that game!" I growled as I fired a blue EMP laser from Reverb towards the two jets as they spiraled out of control before colliding and exploding on the realm's chrome walls.

Fragments littered across the track. "Yo, Vert, you almost made me pop a tire!" Alec said.

"Man, they must really hate you right now!" Dresden shouted.

"That's what happens when you beat their leader!"

"Vert, incoming ram! Ram!" Maila shouted.

I felt the impact as if a sledgehammer hit my spine. Suddenly, all feeling around my limbs became numb. I breathed heavily and blinked about a dozen times before realizing Reverb was flying high in the air.

I tried to turn on my jump jets, but the chrome ball hit the right side of my head like a rock, and I felt my helmet cave in.

Reverb landed, luckily on all four wheels, on the chrome wall. As I steered back on the track, I chuckled nervously at the fact that my car was still holding up, especially given my past track record.

The chrome ball bounced on my lap. "Oh, come on!" I groaned as I grabbed the ball, and chucked it out of my window, not realizing that it was already shut as fragments embedded inside my helmet. "Can this realm get any wor—"

The entire track phased a distorted image of a damaged Reverb, my teammates' cars, and the trailing Drones. "Oh, shit..." I whispered. "Time it right, Vert. Time it right..."

The chrome ball bounced just inches away from the front of my car. As I looked at the rearview camera, the other four evaded the chrome sphere as it crashed right on the center of most of the light Drone vehicles, concluding with a series of deafening, yellow explosions as it collided with the heavy vehicles, then finally, the Sweepers.

"The Accelerons are going to have a field day cleaning that up," Dresden said.

"Good work, everyone," Maila said.

The portal was a mile in sight. In the middle was a gray symbol shaped like a reverse C that meant "chrome" in the Acceleron's language.

"This is Dresden, my vehicle just got disabled. Using the EDR."

"Agh! I lost a wheel! Sorry, Vert. I'm pulling out!" Alec said.

"Damn, Banjee's been hit too!" Maila reported. "Ah, hell!" From my camera, I saw a sole heavy Racing Drone vehicle spin Octainium aside.

"Maila!" I shouted.

"I'm still in this, Vert. Just get to the finish!"

"Vert." I recognized that African accent anywhere. But much more metallic, even through the radio. "It's been a long time."

"Kadeem…" I said silently.

"You'll be a great Drone, Vert," he said.

"Why...?" I asked in a distraught tone.

"Your failure to save me has become my salvation," Kadeem said. "Surrender yourself and you'll be saved as well."

I could barely focus on the track after not just hearing Kadeem's voice, but what he just said.

Then, I saw a chrome sphere heading right at my windshield.

"VERT!" Maila shouted.

_CRASH!_

* * *

**ACT I: Dawn of a Darkening Era**

* * *

_Silencerz' HQ_  
Concurrent with the end of The Ultimate Race  
Maila [SURNAME REDACTED]

"I still don't think it's a good idea to recruit him. I never wanted him to get caught up in all this," Major Wheeler said as I poured a glass of mead for him. "It's times like this that I wish General Walker would be more liberal with our oath."

"Your son defeated Gelorum," I argued as I grabbed my glass. "He's become an idol, now. You've seen how ecstatic our units have been and you knew you would risk keeping secrets from him when you entered the Realms. It's time you tell him about us."

"I just fear what he'll think of all this."

"It will go better than you think," I said as I took a sip.

"Perhaps," Major Wheeler said. "You have a secret that's worse than mine."

I chuckled. "And yet I still want to see her again."

* * *

_1: Secrets Revealed_   
_Racing Drones' Headquarters_   
_Approximately three weeks after the events of The Ultimate Race_   
_Brian Kadeem_

Heavy snow scattered throughout the city, accumulating onto the ground-level tracks. While watching the Racing Drones' vehicles driving across the snowy roads to the spire on spiked tire treads, I could not help but feel nostalgic towards my time with the Dune Ratz.

I looked at myself towards the reflection of one of the buildings. I knew I could never come back to my people in the Sahara Desert in this present time after I was transformed into a drone, but Gelorum's doctrine gave me hope that the Drones will help them.

_Kadeem is gone,_ I thought to myself. _The Drones are my future._

_You are never truly gone, Kadeem._ Haziz's reflection replaced my own. _The Drones may have drifted you astray, but you will never forget where you came from._

"Kadeem was weak, like his people," I said. "We will make them stronger."

_Is this truly the life they should live?_ Haziz questioned.

"I can give you your sight again, Haziz," I convinced, gritting my teeth. "I can give a hundred-hold more that what I already gave to you two years ago."

_Kadeem, will your people approve of the Drones' conquest?_

I punched the reflection, leaving a hole in the wall. "They will know, willingly or otherwise."

A Racing Drone Lieutenant walked from behind. "Lieutenant Kadeem. Is there a problem with your programming?"

"No," I lied. "It's just a side-effect from being human. It will fade away in time."

"The inauguration of Chancellor Annette will begin in thirty minutes," RD-L1 announced over the PA.

* * *

_The Holy Spire_

Annette took the throne shortly thereafter. The Drones Sieg Hailed towards Annette, all of them blaring a metallic, raspy screech in unison. The sight gave me a flashback to an altercation with Neo-Nazis at a restaurant in Texas prior to starting the World Race. They pulled guns at me before the waitress knocked them out with a frying pan and had them arrested.

With Gelorum's doctrine, I believed that this symbol would be given a new meaning once the Drones take over Earth. So I raised my hand alongside the Drones.

Like Gelorum, Annette took the form of a human – a contrast to bulky Racing Drones. Unlike Gelorum, however, Annette actually used to be human. A former driver for the Silencerz, Annette was arrested due to using Silencer technology in an attempt to bomb the Federal Assembly in Russia. That was when she made contact with Gelorum, and they mutually shared a desire to reform the world.

"My fellow people, Drones and Hybrids alike, it is an honor to be named heir to Gelorum's throne," Annette greeted with a tone that was more airy and soft-spoken. "I may have been human in the past, and indeed, much younger, but my resolve remains as strong as her's. Gelorum has given me everything that not even the richest human philanthropist could. And likewise, our integration of human intelligence has granted the perfect marriage between man and machine.

"We overcame the limits that the Accelerons have put on us: We took the Wheel of Power, an Acceleron relic that only a human could handle, and we will strike once again towards the ones that have taken it to the Earth. Our harvest of human minds has installed creativity to balance out our calculative, intellectual nature. We are not just Drones, not just humans, but we are on the verge of transcending into gods!

"When the next set of Racing Realms begins, we will not rest until the Accelechargers are ours. We will not rest until we finally kill and transcend the Accelerons. We will not rest until we terraform the Earth." Annette's voice grew louder and more guttural with every word. "Most of all…" Her voice lowered in volume. "We will have revenge by assimilating the ones responsible for Gelorum's death! The one known as Vert Wheeler shall conform to us!" she screamed at the top of her mechanical lungs. "Hail Gelorum!" she cried out, Sieg Heiling.

The Drones Sieg Heiled once again, their cheerful screeches being twice as loud.

* * *

_New HQ, [LOCATION REDACTED]_   
_Approximately one month after the events of The Ultimate Race_   
_Kurt Wylde_

Knowing that Vert went for the portal prior to the destruction of the Acceledrome, we headed for another headquarters away from the original one. It was as if Tezla prophetically predicted that the Drones would raid the Acceledrome. Wherever Vert was, getting the wheel hologram projector back on was our best bet.

Karma theorized that Vert could be in the realms racing with the Accelerons, which would be any World Race Driver's dream; I could not imagine how excited she would be if the realms started opening again. After what happened with Markie and Kadeem, most of us feared that either the Drones or Silencerz captured him; I leaned towards the former, knowing at the time that they had the actual Wheel of Power. The thought of a cyborg Vert, eyes and mouth glowing green and smiling like a slasher villain made me not want to eat during catering hours.

A month has passed since Vert went missing. Every second felt like we were going to have a less of a chance of finding him alive, let alone well.

The building was of a smaller scale with a smaller ramp leading towards the wheel hologram, which was still in progress. The bedrooms were cramped and dusty; according to Markie, it was a notch better than sleeping in a jail cell and more comparable to sleeping on Tork's couch. The Sweeper served as the garage for our cars, though it was quite cramped. Even worse was that the acoustics in the Sweeper were quite cacophonous; especially when Shirako was testing Bassline's subwoofers, which resulted in Porkchop nearly strangling him to death.

We rebuilt our cars, using parts recycled from prototype cars originally intended for the World Race as well as parts salvaged from the Acceledrome and aftermarket parts from Clone, Wasco, JT, and parts from the Maniacs' shop. Technology was reverse-engineered from Nitrium except for cloaking and weaponry, which was considerably harder, if impossible with the resources we had. Unfortunately, the complex lacked any Nitrox 2, as all of it was used to destroy the Acceledrome, so we had to rely on Monkey's Nitrox 3 1/2. A little rough on the engines compared to the original Nitrox, but we could always make repairs after races.

Lani and Tezla scheduled a meeting for all nine of us, saying that they have found Vert's location. Needless to say, we were all excited and hurried to the conference room fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled.

"We've managed to recover a video file recorded by Sparky moments before he hit the EDR on Vert's car," Lani said.

The monitor showed us a first-person perspective of Sparky riding with Vert in Reverb. The quality was fuzzy with static taking up one/twentieth of the top screen and the brightness turned up unnaturally high, but it was no worse than security footage at a retailer. We saw Vert entering the yellow Acceledrome portal, then exiting towards an environment of purple and white. Vert entered towards the automatic doors, spun 270 degrees counterclockwise, and stopped as he and Sparky checked their surroundings.

Vert gasped as the door left to them opened. Four gray X-88s, covered in purple hues, surrounded Reverb, automatically opening its vertical doors. Both Vert and Sparky's seatbelts snapped loose, then lab scientist with five lenses loomed over Vert.

" _Sparky, hit the ED-agh!"_ The scientist snatched Vert out of the car as well as the Circle that the Accelerons gave him. Sparky pressed the EDR button before face-planting on the road near where the World Race happened.

" _Hello."_

The transmission ended there.

"Purple interiors, those X-88 robots, that's obviously the Silencerz' base," Karma said.

I sighed a slight breath of relief for a moment. At least Vert was not going to be turned into a Drone like Kadeem or what they tried to do with Markie, as I looked at his blackened metal arm. However, we did not know what the Silencerz' motives were or what they were going to do with Vert. He could be brainwashed into working with them.

I took a glance at Tezla. I've always had my suspicions about him even before the World Race began, and that has not changed in the slightest. I knew he wanted the Wheel of Power as an infinite energy source for the United States and possibly even the world, and that obviously led to a continent-wide blackout. But knowing he refused to give us Nitrox 2 after the World Race for "research", his second attempt at getting the wheel which led to his injured state, some ethically dubious things such as not installing an EDR until we were four realms in (which could have completely prevented what happened to Dresden, Alec, Banjee, and Kadeem), his obsession with the Accelechargers to the point where he cared about them more than our safety, and when Vert made contact with an Acceleron, and general refusal to tell us other things surrounding the realms (the time limit when we were in the Storm Realm, which resulted in Vert losing his Deora II; the lack of warning that the realms were much more dangerous than Highway 35; the loss of Dresden, Alec, Banjee, and potential other World Race drivers; and if he needed the help of the Teku and Metal Maniacs, who were hostile towards each other at the time, why didn't we see other World Race drivers?), it made me wonder if he was still having us drive for him to serve his old motives again. Was he just trying to find better ways of handing these powers?

Or did he genuinely want to keep this power from falling into the wrong hands, whether it was the Drones, the Silencerz, corporations, or politicians?

I knew that Tezla had a falling out with the Silencerz. According to what Lani said, while Tezla said that the Silencerz stole technology from him, Gig also said that Tezla also did the same thing to him, notably Nitrium and Gig himself. Was it because they had conflicting motives? And what were the Silencerz' own motives?

"Tezla, we know you were a member of the Silencerz," I said. "Can you tell us where their headquarters is located?"

"They've changed locations after I left," Tezla replied. "I have no idea where their base of operations is."

"Well, can you tell us more about them? What they stand for? Their members? Anything?" I asked in a more aggressive tone as I stood up from my seat. "What happened between you and the Silencerz that made you leave?"

"I cannot tell you," Tezla said.

"Why not?" I shouted as I rushed towards Tezla, pinning him hard to the wall.

"Whoa! Kurt, calm down!" Nolo shouted.

Tezla let out a painful gasp. "Kurt, you're hurting me!"

"Kurt, let him go!" Karma shouted.

"Kurt!" Taro shouted.

Suddenly, I felt two arms, one of them being prosthetic, applying a full-nelson. "Kurt! Kurt what the hell are you doing?" Markie shouted as he threw me away from Tezla.

"He's been keeping secrets from us from the very beginning!" I said.

"Kurt, you've been this way for a while now," Markie said.

I took a deep breath. "I know… I know."

"They've kept their eye on me from the beginning," Tezla explained. "Gig was one of them – that's how they got a hologram file of the wheel. Some of their drivers were there when the Drones took over the Acceledrome."

"Come to think of it, they might be watching us right here, right now," Porkchop said, looking over the room. Monkey gulped at the thought.

"All we can do for now is wait until the hologram projector is fully operational," Lani said.

"Let's hope the portal that took Vert to the base is still open," Tork said. "Otherwise, we're out of luck."

"There could also be the chance that there will be another set of Racing Realms," Tezla said. "Some of the symbols I saw on the wheel have yet to be used."

"So if we can't get through Vert through the Silencerz' base, we could get through with him in the Realms?" Tork asked.

"If he is racing with the Silencerz," Tezla said. "However, the Racing Drones are also still a threat. We also need to focus on winning if the realms open again. Until we get more information, you are dismissed."

_Ugh, the usual "we have to work hard to stop the Drones" line again._

All nine of us started walking out of the room before Tesla walked behind me. "Kurt, let us talk in my personal quarters."

* * *

_Maila [SURNAME REDACTED]_

"It looks like the drivers are about to know too much about us," I radioed through my helmet.

"Keep investigating the area, and especially Tezla and Kurt," Major Wheeler radioed back. "If they risk leaking any information about us to the public, you know what to do."

"Yes sir."

As I walked outside the conference room, I saw one of the drivers, known by Gig as Porkchop, running around and swinging his sledgehammer around in the air. "Silencerz! We know you may be in here! Porkchop will take you on! Tell us where Vert is!"

Another driver, Monkey, approached the maniacal driver. "Porkchop—WHOA!" Monkey narrowly missed a swing to the head and fell on his back. "Look, you're wasting your time. Do you really think the Silencerz will just come to you and get hit?" he questioned.

"No, but it keeps me alert and pumpin' for a fight," Porkchop replied.

"Eh, I guess they'll have to face us soon," I said to myself as I turned my invisibility cloak back on.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ, [LOCATION REDACTED]_  
Concurrent with the end of The Ultimate Race  
Vert Wheeler

I stared towards the lead Silencer that was walking towards me. I knew the Silencerz were infiltrating the Realms and were battling against us. The question I wanted to ask was who were they?

His helmet retracted to a ring around his neck.

And I stood agape at the man I saw.

"Son, we need to talk."

"Dad? What…" I was in awe of what I just saw the moment I saw Dad take off the purple helmet. "Dad, after all this time, you're… you're a Silencer?"

The driver on Dad's right took off his mask, revealing himself to be Banjee Castillo. The third driver followed suit, revealing Krakatoa.

"Wha…"

"Vert, we're sorry for our deception," Banjee said regretfully.

"I guess there's no point in hiding this from you anymore," Dad said. "I'm deeply sorry I couldn't tell you or your mother this, but I've been bound by an oath of secrecy until you came into the base."

"It's just…" I couldn't make of what I just saw. "What's going on? Is this the 'squadron' you've been leading all this time?"

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"The Silencerz are a multi-national government-funded military program, specializing in high-speed stealth missions," Tezla said. "The Scrim Corporation was a major backer for the program. Eventually, I became one of their drivers."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"However, as the Racing Drones took over Hot Wheels City, we made it a priority to take the wheel back to this realm," Dad continued. "Tezla and I fought over whether to contain the wheel or use it as he tried to before. Even after the continent-wide blackout, he still wanted to use its power for the world. But we knew that other figures, not just the Racing Drones, would likely want to use it for their personal interests. Tezla left the Silencerz and went into hiding, though we watched him closely, using the X-88, or Gig as he called him, to spy on him."

"So let me be clear, you and the Silencerz were trying to keep the wheel and the Accelechargers out of anyone else's hands?"

"We intend to contain such anomalies," Dad said.

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"Do they intend to use the Wheel for something?" I asked Tezla.

"No. As weapons became more dangerous over the course of the two World Wars, the last thing the Silencerz wanted was to use it as a weapon."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"To use the Wheel and, potentially, the Accelechargers and that circle to fuel a weapon could not only create a weapon of mass destruction, but a potential weapon of complete destruction," Dad explained.

I took a sigh. "When we raced against you, we feared that you were up to something extreme with the Accelechargers," I said. "Now it feels like you're actually doing something right."

"Tezla has always been paranoid about both us and the Racing Drones," Dad said.

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"I'm just dumbfounded," I said. "I feel like we've been fighting what's in your head rather than an actual threat."

"I just have this feeling," Tezla said.

"Well, what if the Silencerz are actually doing what's right?" I asked. "After the blackout, nothing has changed about you." I headed for the door. "I'll still race, if just to stop the Racing Drones, but if you're still obsessed with using Acceleron technology for your own selfish interests, my trust for you has fallen down to absolute zero. No one should have that power."

As I left Tezla's room, Markie, Karma, and Nolo stood outside waiting for me. "Did you get anything from him?" Karma asked.

"Our fight with the Silencerz was a lie," I replied angrily as we walked back to the Sweeper. "And I feel like being brought into this was a lie as well. If he wasn't so obsessed with the Drones, he would have contacted the Silencerz earlier instead of bringing just four World Race drivers and some random street racers that hated each other's guts at the time."

"Are you saying the Silencerz are the real good guys?" Markie questioned.

"I don't know for sure," I said. "But I feel that if we keep racing for Dr. Tezla, who knows what will happen if he gets ahold of more Acceleron technology?"

* * *

_Maila [SURNAME REDACTED]_

I watched Kurt continue his rant while quietly following them. The stealth camouflage and the barrier of artificial silence around me made it too easy.

"Look, we don't trust him either, but Tezla called us out of fear," Karma said. "He's human; he makes mistakes."

_Human,_ I thought. _I'm glad you are still human._

A folded photo dropped down from her jacket pocket.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"Karma, you dropped something," Nolo said.

I went back and picked up the photo. I breathed in slowly and put the photo back in my pocket.

"Something wrong?" Nolo asked.

I exhaled. "It's nothing. Just some notes I took when studying the Drones and Realms."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"I recommended before that you quit before you got too deep in this," Dad said. "But after your race against Gelorum and you ending up here, I'm not sure if that's even a viable option."

I chuckled. "You know I'm stubborn."

"I'm proud of you." Dad's hand touched my shoulder. "You did what the Silencerz weren't able to do at the time and helped deal a significant blow to the Racing Drones. We might have to recruit you."

"But what about the others? The Teku and Metal Maniacs?"

"Right now, it would be too risky to recruit them," Dad said. "It's already a huge risk recruiting you, but I will say one thing: My second-in-command has been wanting to get in contact with your friends ever since she became a Silencer. If the situation with the Drones escalates, we'll consider contacting them."

"That would work wonders," I said. "Dad, I know I've been a distant son, but now I understand where you're coming from. I've been acting like the world revolved around me, and I never realized how important this kind of work is. If it means protecting the world, I'll join the Silencerz."

"Now you have a full idea what's really important," he replied. "Banjee and Krakatoa will take you to see your new handler. I will be discussing the findings these guys have on the artifacts we took."

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

I sat in the driver's seat of Chicane and pulled out the folded photograph I dropped earlier from my jacket pocket. I slowly pinched at the top edge and caught a glimpse of an arm sheathed in black and a part of a pale face that was smiling.

"No." I folded the photograph back and placed it in the glove box. "Not now."

Taro knocked on my window. "Ready for tonight's race?"

I opened the window. "I'm looking forward to it after a month of nothing. Feels longer than it really is, honestly."

"Everyone's been worried about Vert."

"It's not just that," I said. "It just feels odd not fighting Drones or even racing for once. The longest I've gone without street racing was a week."

"Huh. You seem like you find solace in chaos," Taro said.

I chuckled. "Honestly, I'd feel more comfortable skiing down Mt. Everest than being in one building, tuning up cars that don't really need to be tuned anymore. Bet that's why you and Lani aren't a thing anymore?"

Taro groaned. "Don't mention Lani like that."

"Well, it's about to get dark soon," I said as I put on my helmet. "Time to make some money."


	2. Deconstructing Perfection

_2: Deconstructing Perfection  
Silencerz HQ_   
_Vert Wheeler_

"I never thought I'd be racing with you again," Banjee said as we walked around the room.

"Tell me about it, Banjee," I replied. "It's been very nice to see you. Are there any other World Race drivers besides you two?"

"Dan Dresden, Esmerelda Sanchez, Alec Wood, and several others," Krakatoa answered.

"Alec? Huh. Never thought I'd see him again after the fallout we had."

"I believe Finn Serpa just got promoted to Lieutenant in the EU division," Krakatoa continued.

"Really..." I said.

"After the World Race, the Silencerz had an influx of new drivers," Krakatoa explained. "Most of them were former World Race drivers, though there are other drivers that are exceptional in their own right."

"Captain Eiss in the Research Room," a Silencer next to the doors informed. A revolving door opened as a female driver walked out.

"Speak of the devil," Banjee said. Her long raven, curly hair brushed across her shoulders, and her neon green irises laid a sharp stare at me, the complete negative of the Silencerz' colors. The black racing suit also made comparisons to Gelorum impossible to avoid.

"You must be the driver that defeated Gelorum; well, obviously since you're wearing a suit with Acceleron symbols," she said, smiling, in a stoic, yet warm voice as we shook hands. Her grip was hard and cold, and her gloved hand felt unnaturally jagged and skeletal. "The name's Maila Eiss. I'm the Captain of the Elite Stealth Force division and one of Major Wheeler's most trusted drivers."

_Eiss? Is she related to Karma?_ I didn't want to ask her that due to her presenting herself as professional and the question being inappropriate at the time, though she did look like an older version of Karma enough to make that assumption. "Nice to meet you," I said nervously.

"And it's an honor to meet you," Maila replied. "Did Major Wheeler just recruit you?"

"Yes."

"I don't know if you realize this, but you've done so much. You stopped the Drones from getting to the Accelerons and we now have all the Accelechargers. While the Drones are still a threat, morale within our forces has skyrocketed thanks to you."

"You should not get in her way too much," Banjee said as he and Krakatoa started leaving for another room. "She can get pretty loco on the road."

I swallowed hard. "Well, I better keep up," I said nervously.

"I know you've gone through... a couple of accidents," Maila exposed.

Flashbacks to my failures in the Racing Realms played in my mind. I could remember failing to save Kadeem and making it out of the Storm Realm with only half my car. I remembered my failure to stay in the groove in the Swamp Realm, resulting in Power Rage getting torn apart. The most egregious of all was me, the former leader of the _Wave Rippers_ , crashing in the _Water Realm_ ; I was far ahead of the pack, and I easily ended up crashing anyways. My right leg was still aching from crashing in the Ruins Realm.

Maila then smiled and put her right hand on my left shoulder. "I'll make sure you never get into any more of them," she said, not in a strict tone akin to the typical military officer, but one that that sounded devoted and caring.

I looked over behind me to see Dad driving Reverb next to us. "Maila, Vert. We have finished the preliminary tests for both the Wheel and the Circle. We're taking the Circle to the vault until further testing is needed. Maila, you'll be needing the Wheel of Power for your next op in the Drones' HQ. Vert, we're also taking your car to the garage for some mandatory upgrades."

"Sounds good," Maila said.

I turned back to Maila as Dad drove off. "An op at the Drones' base?"

"We've already had one mission to get the Wheel of Power," Maila said as we walked away from the Research Room to a hallway that was smaller in scope. "Krakatoa and I were even in the same Sweeper your friends were in when they were rescuing a captured driver. This next op I've been assigned to surrounds the inauguration of a new Drone leader; I'll be heading there to record the speech and get a feel for the situation."

"How long was I out for?"

"Two days."

"Huh. They must have prepared well for the worst, even though they were on the verge of winning it all."

"I personally can't wait until that spire falls," Maila said coldly as she stared at her hands. "The Drones are tyrants; they've been destroying human lives for a while."

"What do you mean?"

She stopped and tilted her head down. "Vert, I'm sure you already know this, but, yes, I'm the sister of Karma Eiss."

"She never told me she had any siblings," I said.

"I made the biggest mistake of my life when we parted ways," she said as she took off her right hand glove. I covered my mouth slightly as she fidgeted around with her jet-black prosthetic.

* * *

_[LOCATION REDACTED]_   
_Approximately one month after the events of The Ultimate Race_   
_Karma Eiss_

Taro and I participated in a four-way street race to get some extra cash for supplies. The track took place on a road near the mountainside with twists and turns akin to the Cliffside Realm. It had rained heavily six hours earlier, and the night was nearly pitch-black, but after going through the realms, particularly the aforementioned Cliffside Realm, as well as the Cavern and Water Realms, this was a cakewalk for both of us. For the other two drivers, it was hell.

"I'm going to pass you," Taro said as we inched closer to the finish line.

"Try it," I responded calmly as his car led by a yard.

The last turn was a hairpin turn that was so sharp, there even was a "prepare to stop" sign that preceded the actual stop sign. But in a race, you do not stop. You pull the most precise maneuver.

Taro took a turn too wide to the point where the right side of Rivited was lightly kissing the guard rail. I drifted under Taro's steering path, easily passing him.

The final stretch was a quarter-mile drag to the finish line. "Don't think you have the race in the bag yet," Taro warned as he hurried closer to me until the front of his car was in the sight of my right window. I watched my RPM meter inch at 8000, and I downshifted to gear six.

Blazing across the painted white line on the road at 180 mph, I took first place with Taro just only four feet away.

The other two – not even close.

"That was some good driving," Taro complimented stoically. "I'm surprised you never got an invitation to join the World Race."

"Oh, don't downplay yourself," I replied, blushing ever so slightly. "You did well too."

The two trailing drivers followed about a minute behind us. "How did you two learn to drive like that?" the last-place driver in the pink Honda S2000 questioned.

"That was too perfect, guys," the third-place driver added as he got out of his green MS-T Suzuka. "Almost, like, robotically perfect."

_Robotic,_ I thought. _Maila…_

* * *

_Racing Drones' HQ_  
 _Ten minutes before the inauguration of Chancellor Annette_  
 _Maila_ Eiss

On our last mission at the Racing Drones' HQ, Krakatoa and I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a hybrid of a Racing Drone and a human laying in the lower levels. We could not capture him at the time due to additional Drones heading his way. We also caught a look at their list of scheduled events, which listed the emergency inauguration of a new Drone Chancellor. Major Wheeler sent us, as well as Esmerelda, back to their HQ to investigate the Hybrid Drones and record Chancellor Annette's speech.

I parked Octainium, disguised as a heavy Racing Drone vehicle, about a mile away from the spire.

"You're not going to believe this, Major," I radioed to HQ as I scoped through my electronic binoculars towards the top of the spire. "There's what looks to be a senate of Hybrid Drones, judging from the way they are seated. There are even sections of Hybrid Drones in the audience."

"Approximately how many are there?" Major Wheeler asked.

"About two-thousand out of the hundred-thousand Drones," I answered. "Krakatoa, Esmerelda, I'm tagging the Hybrid Drones from my angle to your scopes. How many others do you see on your angle?"

"Two-thousand more by the building with the shark mouth," Esmerelda added.

"Another 2K by the loop of the severed ramp," Krakatoa also added. "Hold on, is that Lau?"

"What?" I asked.

"That's a World Race drivers in their ranks!" Krakatoa clarified. "Harrison Lau - he was a member of the Scorchers!"

"Captain Eiss, you were a former Racing Drone one year ago," Esmerelda said. "How many were there before you joined the Silencerz?"

"Ten," I said.

"I thought they stopped when they took the Wheel of Power," Krakatoa said.

"Remember that we lost access to Highway 35, and thus the Drones' HQ because they took it," I said. "Major Wheeler, we have an approximate total of six-thousand Hybrid Drones in the audience. With the rise of Drone activity on Earth, they could still be taking in more humans."

"We're going to be spread thin if numbers like this go up," Wheeler said.

The new Chancellor took the throne as the Drones cheered on in unison. "That's Annette!" Esmerelda said. "The rogue Silencer."

"She's one of the ten," I revealed.

As Annette continued her speech, I took off my gloves and started fidgeting my mechanical fingers. "Karma," I whispered to myself. _I know you never wanted this. Had I not signed an offer with CLYP, I would still be there with you._

* * *

_[LOCATION REDACTED]  
Karma Eiss_

After collecting our earnings and getting parts, oil, fuel, and even basic living supplies such as groceries for the other drivers, we took off to Tezla's HQ.

The comment one of the drivers made ringed through my head like Shirako's tunes on repeat. I never thought about Maila during the first set of Racing Realms because I was focused both my own driving and figuring out the skills for each realm. But I could not get her out of my head.

"You haven't talked much," Taro said. "Is… is there something going on?"

"It's nothing," I lied.

"You've been acting a little... off lately."

"I never liked it when it's quiet."

"Karma, you can tell me."

I took a moment to breathe in and out slowly. "Have I ever told you about my sister?"

"No," Taro replied.

"She used to be the leader of the Teku years before Tone, before even Nolo got his license; her name's Maila Eiss," I told him. "I actually looked up to her, and she's actually the reason I joined by the time I turned sixteen."

"What happened to her?" Taro asked.

"She joined an experimental 'cybernetic racing' program two years ago," I replied.

"Sounds like something Tezla would be involved in," Taro said.

"She even recommended me for this program," I added. "I, of course, declined."

"How come? You'd seem like the kind of person to join."

"I found it to be like cheating," I answered. "Then again, we are fighting against the Drones." I took a breath. "After that, I lost contact with her. The local Portland newspaper officially declared her dead."

"I'm… sorry to hear about that."

"I wonder, though, with Kadeem being a Racing Drone and what they tried to do with Wylde, did she ever become one of them?" I questioned.

"Come to think of it, I wonder if some of the Drones we've raced were human?" Taro added.

Cold sweat soaked my gloves with the thought that any of the Drones destroyed in the realms could have been Maila or any other human transformed into Drones. _Did Maila die in the Realms?_ I wondered _. Did I kill her?_

* * *

_Racing Drones HQ  
Maila Eiss_

"Vert's not gonna like this," Esmerelda commented as we heard the Drones screech in response to the end of Annette's speech.

"I don't like it either," I said. "Like Major Wheeler said, the Silencerz will be spread thin while investigating this in the real world. We need more drivers. And I know some."

As I returned to my car, I unfolded a photograph from my glove box. It was from four years ago when Karma first got her driver's license. I was holding her by the side while we posed for a phone selfie to celebrate. She had that melancholic smile that would later fade by the time I saw her in the Sweeper.

_I hope we meet again, sis. I love you._

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this and the first chapter. This was more focused on getting some character development for Maila Eiss as well as trying to get some backstory surrounding some of Karma's character traits, most notably her desire for perfection. I've heard some interesting theories about her; one bizarre one was that Karma was a rogue Racing Drone because of how similar she looked to Gelorum, the surprising comparable character traits between the two (and the Racing Drones in general), and that scene in The Ultimate Race where she detected that a cannon was about to fire on the Sweeper.**

**Also, the fact that Harrison Lau, a driver from the Scorchers who never had one line of dialogue, is a Racing Drone is based off the comics for the toys, where Lau was spying for Gelorum alongside Kurt.**

**If you have any questions or if you have anything to say about this fic, post about it on the review section and I might respond to them in another A/N section.**

 


	3. Family

  **WARNING: This chapter may not be suited for those sensitive to:**  
**Suicide**  
 **Self-harm**  
 **Grief/Loss**  
 **If anyone has any suicidal feelings, contact your friends, family, 911, or your national suicide hotline.**

* * *

_3: Family_   
_Tezla's HQ_   
_Mark Wylde_

I lay on my bed, looking at the jet-black metal arm the Drones gave me.

Everything changed throughout the last two months.

The days when I was captured were a blur. Having been drugged by the Drones for a majority of the time, I could not recall a single thing until I saw Kadeem fight Kurt; the fact that Kurt was there at all almost felt like a dream. The man that scapegoated me after the shady business deal going all out, taking nearly every driver with him, despite the risk of getting captured and becoming what I was becoming, as well as the risk of having the Drones win more Accelechargers (which was proven not to be the case, though Kurt thought it was at the time).

Truth be told, I was more worried about Kurt than myself.

* * *

_Ten hours earlier_

_Kurt gathered us around in the Sweeper after his talk with Dr. Tezla._

" _I've been thinking," Kurt said, "that once we find Vert, we should just leave."_

" _But what if the Realms are about to open again?" Karma questioned. "We still don't know if the portal that took Vert to the Silencerz base is still open."_

" _It's too dangerous going in the Realms like this, and it's too dangerous to tell what Dr. Tezla would do about the Accelechargers," Kurt tried to convince. "We nearly got ourselves killed in there, and Tezla's partially at fault! Remember, he didn't install the EDR in our cars until four realms in, even after losing Dresden, Alec, Banjee, and especially Kadeem."_

" _The Drones are still a threat, Kurt," Taro said. "If we try to leave, they would likely track us down like how they found the Acceledrome; you've seen how many Drones were attacking us at their headquarters. All we can do is race against them."_

_Kurt looked down on the ground, then towards Battle Spec. "Why don't we just leave it all to the Silencerz?"_

" _We don't know if what Tezla said is one-hundred percent true," Tork said.  
_

" _I just don't want to see anyone else hurt…" Kurt said solemnly. "Or killed. Kadeem's dead, the others might have died. We could end up dead if we aren't careful."_

* * *

Kurt wanted to leave everything behind. Memories of being Zed-36, the business deal, the Racing Realms, and me getting captured by the Drones. He hardly talked, and we did not see each other much while working on our cars or even during catering. He felt like all what we went through was almost pointless and dangerous and could have just been simply handled by the Silencerz if they really intended to do better than what Tezla did or what he wanted to do with the Accelechargers. All that really fueled him was trying to find Vert, and judging from what Tezla said to him, he apparently seemed better off than I was.

As I stared at my arm, I knew that fighting the Drones and possibly the Silencerz would be our lives for a while. I knew that with my criminal record, even getting a job at a fast-food restaurant would be as likely as winning the lottery. And unless I was wearing gloves and a heavy jacket, my prosthetic would be subject to every news station around the world.

Then I thought about Kadeem, and what his people would have thought if he ever returned home. To see him fight Kurt at the Drones' headquarters and go against everything he stood for, I wondered what would have happened had the Drones continued destroying my body?

But ever since I returned, I noticed that the dynamics between the Teku and Metal Maniacs changed. There were little-if any resentment between anyone, save for Porkchop's hatred for Shirako's loud music. I never saw Nolo or Tork bickering at each other, and I even saw Taro and Karma look at each other more often than not.

Everything changed throughout the last two months.

* * *

_Silencerz' HQ  
Vert Wheeler_

"You need more men?" Dad questioned as he radioed Major Ville Latvaa of the EU Silencerz division. "We're already spread across the glo—

"Major Wheeler," Latvaa said with a heavy Finnish accent. "We can't risk any more drivers being captured or the Drones being revealed to the public. There are already conspiracy theories going around both on public television and on the internet."

"Yes, sir, understood. Major Wheeler out."

Even though we were now working for the same agency, Dad was still focused on his work. His hair started to show strands of gray and he was becoming stressed and exhausted. This time, I completely understood why.

In the wake of the Drones potentially kidnapping racers and turning them into Hybrid Drones. He had sent the Silencerz out to patrol _every_ single racing event; NASCAR, Formula 1 Grand Prix, on-and-off road rallies, drag races, events that centered around World Race drivers who refused to join the Silencerz, and even some higher-profile street races. The only Silencerz stationed in this base were Maila, Krakatoa, and Esmerelda of the stealth division (Maila being the only Elite Stealth Force operative) and only Alec, Banjee, and Dresden of the racing division. Not even close to being enough to suffice an all-out assault on the Drones' headquarters.

Being the leader of the Wave Rippers during the World Race was already hard at the time. Imagine directing hundreds of drivers, or at this point, soldiers. General Walker, the head of all Silencerz operations across the globe, has even considered promoting him to Colonel following the previous stealth op, which meant more responsibilities.

At some of his tougher decisions, he had Maila help advise him. At times, it was as if Dad was the gas and brakes of a car while Maila controlled the steering wheel. She was present with Dad in all the meetings with the other heads of command in each continent.

In fact, having me become a Silencer was _her_ idea. Dad originally intended to lock me in a holding cell since I would potentially risk compromising their secrecy. He knew he did not want to, and caved in to her begging. Whereas Dad feared that putting me in these missions would risk my life, Maila found me to be an asset to help with the Silencerz' combat strategies.

Maila and several other Silencerz were sent out to retrieve the Teku and Metal Maniacs. Even that was her idea. And I knew it was not just because we were lacking in numbers, but because of Karma. I did not even know Karma had a sister, and I knew that, after a long period of absence, Maila would do anything to be reunited with her, even if I was not told much about their relationship (mostly because of my own hesistation to ask), I knew that, in this modern age, she would even betray the Silencerz' code to be reunited with her.

But my concerns for my father nearly outweighed my excitement. In fact, I had the sense that attempting to recruit the drivers was another stressful factor. They were at odds with each other, and at the time, I did not know if they could completely cooperate with each other, let alone with the Silencerz. This is especially given that Nolo and Tork, as well as Kurt and Markie had a lot of animosity in the past which might have died down from what I saw while saving them from the Drones, but I was not sure.

I felt like I was sharing the stress my father had from the moment he revealed himself one month ago. The Silencerz took me through some rigorous training with some physical hand-to-hand combat (which I was terrible at), had me memorize command barks and terms, and practice with their weaponry while driving Reverb as well as on foot. On top of that, to have the entire Racing Drones army wanting my head on a platter, it has brought even more stress towards Dad and I, despite Maila's beliefs. As the days went on, I felt more and more like a soldier than a driver.

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

Tork was replacing his V8 engine on Hollowback after blowing his old one on a failed batch of Nitrox 3 ½. He was looking under his car for a part that he was missing, then he checked every toolbox he had.

I found a screw under High Voltage. "Tork, you looking for this?" I asked as I presented it.

"Perfect!" Tork replied. "Need any help with your car?"

"All it needs is an oil change," I said. "I'm just waiting for Karma and Taro to get back."

"You know, it's been a pretty interesting time," Tork said. "Before the Realms, we were at each other's throats. Now, we're helping each other."

"If we do return to the Realms, I know we're going to need to. Probably even more so," I added.

"Nolo,," Tork said, looking a bit forlorn and shameful, "I still have nightmares about Tone. I still can't recall what happened that night. I still wonder if it was my fault that he crashed."

"Karma, Taro and I know that it was because he lost control of Synkro," I said. "I was too prideful that I was just in denial. Even if I can't trust my own side of the story, I can at least trust both Taro and Karma's side of it."

"I wish he was here with us. He would have this friendship easier. I just worry, with Kurt stressing out, about it all collapsing."

"Come to think of it, I've hardly seen him working on Battle Spec," Nolo said. "Hell, I saw Wylde working on it more."

"Yeah, and it seems like Wylde's trying to act like the older brother now," Tork said.

"You know, some years back, we had another Teku member die," I revealed. "All I can say is that we've gone through a lot throughout the years. We shouldn't dwell too much in the past, and I would not trade our friendship for anything else."

"I wouldn't either," Tork said in a more positive tone before he squirmed as if something pinched him.

"Tork?"

Tork then fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Tork!" I shouted before I felt a fiery pain pierce onto my neck. As I reached for my neck, I felt my wrist tighten as if someone was grabbing me. The Sweeper's surroundings turned to a green mush and I lost all motor control before everything faded to black.

* * *

_Lani Tam_

"Get off me!" I heard Wylde's voice from across the hallway.

"Markie!" Kurt ran towards his room and yanked the door open almost to the point of breaking it off from the hinges.

"Kurt, what's going on?" I questioned as I approached him.

"He's on the floor!" Kurt shouted. "Lani, get help—" A Silencer snuck up from behind and stabbed him in the neck with a syringe pen. "No…" he said as his voice sank before falling unconscious.

"You, there! Freeze!" the Silencer shouted.

I yelped and ran. Porkchop stood in one of the corners fighting another Silencer with a cracked visor before they stuck a syringe in him.

"Lani, get in! We'll be safe here!" Tezla called as he pointed to an open room with a keypad lock.

I slammed the door shut on the chasing drivers, the ticking of four locks sealing us in. Inside the room was a radio and a tranquilizer pistol.

"The door's not gonna hold," I said as I gave the gun to Tezla. "I'm going to radio Karma and Taro."

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"Taro, Karma, can you read me?"

"We hear you, Lani," I responded.

"Listen, you can't return to the complex," Lani warned. "The Silencerz are here, they captured the other drivers."

"What about you?"

"Dr. Tezla and I are in a panic room," Lani replied. "Like I said, do not return to the complex. The Silencerz are—Tezla, what are you doing?"

"My suit! They're controlling it!" Tezla shouted as I heard a silenced gunshot and Lani screaming for half of a second.

We then heard another gunshot, then the sound of metal crashing on the ground.

I looked up at the road and saw a single car with purple tinted windows and a gray exterior racing towards us in an almost suicidal manner. "Taro, evade!"

But I knew it was pointless. I heard an electric scream from the Silencerz car as it passed us. A heavy aura of purple static covered both our cars. Rivited spun before crashing its bumper on the Highway 50 sign. My own car stopped dead in its tracks with purple static covering Chicane's dashboard.

The driver of the Silencerz car stepped out, their entire body covered in a black racing jacket and helmet. Taro got out of his car, holding a large wrench as the two stared at each other.

I swung Chicane's vertical door open and dashed out. "Taro, wait!"

The Silencer dashed almost at the speed of a car turning towards Taro's back, kicking the wrench out of his hand. They then took out a pen-syringe and stabbed his neck. Taro quickly fell onto the grass on his belly. The Silencer then grabbed his unconscious body and set him in Rivited.

I looked at the Silencer's car, its vertical door left open. While the Silencer was still looking away from me, I made a run for it when suddenly, the Silencer landed a jump four feet in front of me.

I put my hands up backed away slowly. "What do you want?"

"Karma," the Silencer said in a light, feminine voice, "we need your help."

A voice that I recognized immediately. "Who are you?"

The driver took off her helmet.

"No…" I took off my helmet, hoping any distortions in my visor weren't deceiving me. "Maila…"

"It's been too long, sis," Maila said, walking towards me before hugging me. But it did not feel like what I remembered; her arms did not have that warmth. Was this a Silencer mind trick? "I know you have a lot of questions."

"Believe me, I do," I replied as I lightly hugged back. I didn't know if I wanted to start crying. Another part of me wanted to punch her in the face, take her car, and escape.

But I still knew that would be futile.

I looked at Rivited with an unconscious Taro inside. "He's going to be alright," Maila said as we let go. "The drug takes two days until it wears off."

"Maila, what happened in the last two years?" I questioned. "You were on the obituaries on our hometown paper, but here you are."

"It's a very long story, kid," she replied.

"Just at least tell me why you're a Silencer," I demanded.

Maila started to look forlorn. "I didn't join by choice, but I just wanted to stop the Drones as much as you do, and as much as the other Silencerz do." She took out another syringe pen from her sleeve pouch. I already knew what was going to happen. "I was never allowed to contact anyone about it, not even you, but the Silencerz need both the Teku and the Metal Maniacs."

"So, you're taking us to the Silencerz' base?"

"Yeah," Maila said. "Karma, because of our oath of silence, we can't have you knowing our location. We're going to have to knock you out as well. I'll tell you everything when we get there."

A bit of dread crept up my spine, hardly knowing what I was about to go through. Were there any other motives besides what Dr. Tezla told Kurt? A part of me even felt like she was about to hurt everyone, even me.

"Karma, I don't want you to be led astray again." Maila's face had that sentimental expression that was the same as when she visited me in the hospital six years ago.

I took a moment to sigh. "Go ahead."

"Goodnight, sis," Maila said as she stuck the syringe into my jugular vein. My limbs went numb, and I fell on Maila's arms like a carcass.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ  
Two days later_

I woke up in a small bedroom with a purple cubical interior. I found myself covered in purple bed sheets, and as I got up and looked in the mirror, I found myself with my hair untied and unkempt, barely touching my shoulders, while a purple medical gown sheathed me. _If they bleach my clothes purple, it's going to replace green as my least favorite color._

I yawned before washing my face, then noticed the scars on my forearms.

I remembered the first time I found solace with a broken pair of scissors, the night I learned my parents died. As my grades in junior high dropped, I almost considered cutting as an alternative to the love my family had for me.

Maila took me in the day after our parents passed. She worked day shifts as a taxi driver, but also resorted to street racing at night to support me. I admired every single second from the videos she recorded to the point where I tried to practice driving to be like her, only to crash the family van into a tree.

While most of my cuts largely faded over the years, there was one on my right wrist that was still considerably swollen.

I remembered Maila walking in as I lay in the bathtub with my veins sliced open. And I remembered her visiting me every day when I was in the ward.

I remembered her walking me through the basics of driving before I got my license; the first time I won a street race, never losing until meeting the Metal Maniacs; and her and the rest of the Teku at the time (before Shirako, Vert, and Kurt joined) initiating me into their team.

By the time she "died," racing became my alternative to cutting.

But...

After a month without fighting the Drones, I found myself tinkering with a small piece of metal, carrying the consequential light red scab markings on my arms. At that point, all the drivers defined me as cold and calculated, like a Drone; they never even suspected anything off about me. I never told Kurt, Shirako, Vert, or the other Maniacs about my sister; I didn't even mention my suicide attempt to Nolo or Tone.

I heard two knocks on the door. "Maila?"

"Rise and shine, sis." The door slid open as Maila, wearing a black tank top and a pair of gray cargo shorts, walked in, carrying a white bag that held my belongings.

The entirety of both her arms were clad in jet-black prosthesis that looked skeletal in nature, her exposed legs had that same quality. I didn't notice before, but the irises of her eyes were neon green – they were blue two years ago.

"You're a Drone," I said, covering my mouth as I continued gazing at her arms.

"Yes," Maila answered in a blunt manner as she sat on the left side of me. "That 'cybernetic program'? It was sponsored by CLYP. I'm sure the driver, Kurt Wylde, told you this."

"He did."

"Well, it turns out that Gelorum initially attempted to recruit some drivers after the World Race into that program. I joined of my own accord, thinking I would be participating in more interesting motorsports, even if it meant isolating myself from this wretched society. Little did I know that Gelorum was a member of an ancient race that wanted to turn our world into a 'utopia for cybernetic racing', turning the human population into Drones."

Maila grabbed my hand and started massaging it. "I'm glad they haven't got to you. You chose not to join in." She then gazed towards my scarred arms, particularly the recent scabs. "I should have come earlier," she whispered in an apologetic tone.

"Maila, it's fine," I tried to assure. "Just tell me how you ended up becoming a Silencer."

"The Silencerz went on an assault operation against the CLYP corporation," Maila continued. "I used this chance to escape and found myself riding the passenger's seat of Major Wheeler's Iridium while Gelorum, the Drones, and the other cyborgs escaped into Highway 35. Now, they're hell bent on gutting each and every single driver, especially Vert."

"Speaking of Vert, is he alright?" I asked. "And what about the other drivers?"

"Vert's now a Silencer and has been a really good asset for us, if, a bit naïve," Maila said. "The others are either in their dorm rooms or already in the conference room. I left a note in each room telling them to meet there thirty minutes from now."

"What about Lani and Dr. Tezla?" I questioned. "I heard gunshots over the radio."

"They knocked themselves out with a non-lethal tranquilizer pistol," Maila said. "We had to move Dr. Tezla to a holding cell in England, however. We felt like he was becoming more of a danger to both the Silencerz and the world with some of his own obsessive goals."

"A bit understandable, considering Kurt doesn't trust him at all," I said.

"You know, when the Realms were first opening, I requested that we recruit you, the Teku, and the Metal Maniacs since Tezla was unreliable at best, dangerous at worst. Major Wheeler declined because of your warring attitudes at the time and because of his son being in the Teku. He approved of this just recently only because we've been spread thin."

"So, I guess we're all Silencerz now?" I asked.

Maila nodded. "You've all proven to be excellent drivers. Mom and Dad would have been proud." Her eyes started to water. "I'm definitely proud of you, kid." She kissed me on the cheek and stood up.

This was no trick. This was the same Maila Eiss that snatched me from the bloodied bathtub six years ago. And here she was in the wake of relapse.

"Maila?" I said before she was about to leave the room.

"Hmm?"

I swiftly locked my arms around her back. "I've missed you," I whimpered to the point of crying as my head leaned on her metal shoulder. "I wouldn't be anything without you, and you've been there the whole time."

Maila wrapped her own hands on my shoulders. "You know who you are, Karma. Don't let _anyone_ take that away from you."

When Maila first intervened, I knew she would never leave me like this again. Her devotion was unbreakable, and even being among the Racing Drones and the Silencerz, she found her way when I found myself needing her.

And I wanted to return the favor.

As Maila started to leave, I heard someone shout, "Vert, where are you? Vert, come on, man!"

I smirked. _Kurt._

* * *

**A/N: Fun fact: The road Karma, Taro, and Maila were on is called Highway 50 since it's been 50 years since Hot Wheels was introduced (1968), similar to how they celebrated 35 years with Highway 35 back in 2003.**

**EDIT 1: For the record, the brief backstory I gave for Karma was based off my own deals with severe depression. I'm not going into too much detail for the sake of my privacy, but I managed to get myself out of the rut I was in by focusing on my own ambitions. From feeling like I was not good enough at anything (in the case of the fic, Karma crashing the family car) to Super Saiyan 2 Vegeta levels of confidence, looking up to the people I idolized and meeting, even surpassing that threshold.**

**EDIT 2: I felt that there needed to be further fleshing out on Karma's backstory to make it more believable and more in-character. Consequently, this went from 3,800 words to over 4,100.**


	4. Burnout

  **WARNING: This chapter may not be suited for those sensitive to:**  
**Suicide**  
 **Depression/mental illness**  
 **If anyone has any suicidal feelings, contact your friends, family, 911, or your national hotline.**

* * *

_4: Burnout_   
_Silencerz HQ_   
_Kurt Wylde_

I opened my eyes to a flat purple ceiling, and I immediately bolted out of the room into the hallway. I was in a purple medical gown as my blue Teku jacket and orange goggles were missing. The first thing I thought of was if Vert was here. "Vert, where are you?" I shouted almost as if I was my old angry Street Breed self as I ran through the dormitory. I tried to open the doors, but all of them were locked. "Vert, come on, man!"

"Whoa!" a female voice called as she walked out of one of the rooms. "Hold your horses. The meeting doesn't start until twenty-four minutes."

"You!" I shouted at her, grabbing her robotic shoulders, not even realizing that she was a rogue Drone. "Tell me where Vert is!"

"He's fine, Kurt." Karma walked out of the same room the half-robot woman was in, hair untied and dressed in the same gown I was in and lightly smiling.

"Karma? What's going on?" I lifted my arms off the woman's shoulders and calmed down for a moment, realizing how much of a loser I looked like in front of Karma. In fact, I felt like Monkey and Porkchop at their goofiest.

"Well, this is an awkward situation we're in," the woman chuckled. "Oh, and your clothes are in your room. It would be unprofessional of you to arrive in that attire, _Private_ Wylde."

"Which room?"

"Room 36," she answered.

"Thanks, I guess," I said. As I started walking back, I remembered something as I overheard Karma chuckle behind my back. "Hey!"

* * *

_Ten minutes later_

Karma told me everything as we headed for the conference room. It turned out that the woman that confronted me was her sister, of all people, and that she was a rogue half-Drone, hence the prosthetic limbs. Karma actually never told me, Vert, or Shirako about her when we joined the Teku; only Nolo, Tone, and several former Teku racers knew about her.

I was relieved to see that everyone was in the room, alive and well, except for Dr. Tezla.

"Boy, Porkchop," Monkey said to him, his red hair well-conditioned and his skin almost as light as Karma's. His sleeveless shirt, belt, and pants was also completely clean of grease, mud, and dirt. "This is the cleanest I've ever seen of you in _years_."

"Yeah, well I don't like it," Porkchop replied in a deadpan tone, looking disturbed. "I feel... violated."

"They could have told us they were taking us here without sneaking up on us like that," Tork said to Nolo.

"I guess it's their way of recruiting people," Nolo replied back.

Shirako did not care at all that he was kidnapped against his will as long as he had his headphones and electronic music blaring loudly into his ears.

"So, does anyone know what happened to our cars?" Markie questioned.

"Something tells me we're going to be driving standard-issue Silencer vehicles," Tork replied.

"Well, driving anything other than Spine Buster or Flathead Fury doesn't feel right for me," Markie said.

Taro watched as five unmasked Silencerz drivers walked into the conference room. "Krakatoa, it's been a long time."

"Likewise, Taro," the former Scorchers driver replied as they shook hands.

"Never thought we'd see other World Race drivers in our mix," I commented with less enthusiasm than I should have had as Esmerelda, former Roadbeasts driver, walked in and took her seat.

The last three surprised me.

" _Kadeem and your brother aren't the only drivers who have been lost in the Realms," Lani said. "Dan Dresden, Alec Wood, Banjee Castillo, they all went into the Realms..."_

…And they somehow found their way out as I saw those three take their seats.

"I thought we lost you all in the Warped Realm," Lani said as she and Alec both shook hands.

"Gig was a spy for the Silencerz and knew we were racing for Crazy Tez. They've been in the Realms from the beginning," Alec revealed. He then turned to Markie. "I see you've been through some crazy shenanigans with the Drones," he said as he pointed towards Markie's Drone arm.

"It's been a while, Kurt," Dresden said as he sat next to me as he offered a handshake.

_If only we raced on Highway 35 as a team…_ "I guess," I said nervously as I accepted it, my grip being a bit looser than his. Dresden and I never talked after the World Race. After the Zed-36 fiasco as well as the terrible business deal, I just did not walk to talk with any World Race driver, with the exception of Vert, who was easily more forgiving than most. I would have contacted Dresden and other Street Breed drivers to help us in the Acceledrome, had I felt that their trust in me was restored.

"So, it looks like the entire Street Breed are in the Silencerz now. Would've been a nice family reunion had we not been stretched apart lately. Tono, Ricky, and Bart are patrolling the NASCAR raceways and American drag races," Dresden explained, "while San Jay, Maximo, and Wave Ripper Finn Serpa are in the EU region patrolling Grand Prix and rally events. I'm the only one focusing on the Realms for now."

"I could imagine the Silencerz following me during my time in the Grand Prix," I murmured monotonously. _I bet they were the ones reserving Room 36 for me, probably out of spite and mockery._

"Hey, Taro!" Banjee called as they shook hands. "I hope Maila didn't shake you up too bad."

"Maila?" Taro questioned before turning to Karma.

"Wait, Maila's alive?" Nolo did the same.

Karma started to blush slightly. "Well…, it turns out she's a Silencer," she revealed nervously.

"Wait, who's Maila?" Monkey asked.

"She's my sister."

All the drivers, except for the Silencerz, had a surprised look.

Alec took Shirako's headphones off. "Sorry, but it's important to hear what Vert, Captain Eiss, and Major Wheeler have to say."

"I hear ya," Shirako said casually.

"Settle down, people," Maila said as she walked into the room, dressed in blackened Silencer attire followed by Major Jack Wheeler and the man himself.

"Hell yeah!" Markie shouted.

"Glad to see you're alright, Vert," I said.

"It's been a long time, surf rat," Taro said.

"Same with all of you," Vert said in a surprisingly stoic tone. He was still in his Acceleron driving suit, but his hair was longer, and his goatee has grown to a beard. "It's been too long since we raced together, and we're going to be needing you more than ever."

"We apologize for bringing you here like this," Maila said, "but the situation has been growing desperate and the Drones are as big of a threat as ever."

"Our stealth racers, Maila, Krakatoa, and Esmerelda have noticed an increase in the number of Hybrid Drones at the Racing Drones' Headquarters," Jack said.

We sat in confusion.

"Drones who used to be human," Vert clarified.

"If any of you didn't know, I am a former Hybrid Drone," Maila continued where Major Wheeler left off. The drivers turned their eyes on Karma. "And prior to my escape, there were as little as ten Hybrid Drones. That number has blossomed to as many as six-thousand."

I immediately fumed. "Great," I said as my tone became progressively angrier. "Not only are we dealing with robots, but we're potentially killing people!" I punched the purple glass table almost to the point of cracking it.

"Whoa, just calm down, Kurt," Lani said.

"Kurt, just sit down," Karma said.

"Continuing on, what's worse is that they have inaugurated a new leader, Annette, who was a former member of the Silencerz," Jack said. "She is a notorious extremist, and we expect that she will take her views and amplify an already volatile situation."

"And their main target," Vert said, "is me. After I defeated Gelorum, the Drones have made it their goal to either kill me or turn me into one of them."

"We used to have hundreds of drivers in this base," Maila added. "But know, that number has dwindled down to a handful of racing forces and only three members of the stealth force in the wake of potential threats in the real world. We couldn't trust that Tezla could guide you properly through the realms, so we had to imprison him for now."

"Good," I said quietly.

"We know you have the skills to handle the Drones' HQ, and we know you are capable of handling the Realms," Maila said. "Let us do what is right for the world and keep any Acceleron relic contained from the Drones and the public."

"Does anyone have any questions?" Jack asked.

"I now understand what you're trying to do, but I just can't stomach actually killing potential Hybrid Drones," I said.

"Kurt, we're not just racing anymore," Jack said. "We are at war. And in war, it is kill or be killed."

I looked across the room. While the other Silencerz were calm about the situation, the Teku and Metal Maniacs looked almost distraught at what they might have to do. Tork, given that he was falsely accused of killing Tone, looked especially uncomfortable. Even Vert, knowing that he had been a Silencer for about a month, looked stressed.

Maila was the only one who did not express any remorse. At all. Just a stoic, unfeeling expression, as if she had a huge kill-list.

"So, what happened to the cars the night you brought us here?" Nolo asked.

"We transported them here via the Sweeper you took during the Acceledrome attack," Vert said. "They are being upgraded as we speak. You might like some of the upgrades we're putting on."

"Speaking of cars, what happened to Sparky?" Monkey asked.

"That Drone that came here with Vert? Let's just say we're making him… more intelligent," Maila said. I was surprised she answered such a trivial question.

"Huh, I'm gonna miss his old self," Shirako lamented.

"Alright, you are dismissed for now," Jack said. "After catering hours, you will meet with the drivers for training."

"Looks like _we're_ leading you guys now," Dresden said to me as Jack and Maila walked out of the room.

I had my head down, staring at the table.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Dining Hall  
Fifteen minutes later_

"I don't think I can do this anymore," I said to Vert, my voice being exhausted and dreary in tone. I barely touched the tray of chopped Polish sausages, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. "After all of Dr. Tezla's reckless antics, after almost losing Markie, and now that we're practically facing against human beings, I'm just burnt out. Not even in my Zed-36 days did I ever want to hurt any of you, and I don't want to see such slaughter in the Realms."

"I understand, Kurt, but I had no choice," Vert said, his voice more soft-spoken than usual. "After Maila saw you interrogate Dr. Tezla about us, you knew too much. They _had_ to take you all in."

"I didn't know if the Silencerz were hurting you at the time," I said. "Now that we finally found you, all I just want to do is quit it all, yet I know I am not allowed to."

"Dad said the same thing. And believe me, none of us want to actually kill people, but as he said, at this point it is kill or be killed."

Markie took his tray and sat by me. "You've been really down, lately," he said.

"Markie, how have things been going for you?" Vert asked.

"Better than the last month," Markie said. "Both the Teku and Maniacs have been supporting me after freeing me from the Drones." He then turned to Kurt. "Now, I feel we should also support you."

"After what I pulled off?" I questioned.

"It's in the past," Markie said. "It's time for me to be a forward-thinker. What you did a month ago is more than enough to remind me how much you cared."

_Forward,_ I thought. _Like the double-chevrons on the tracks pointing to the direction of the finish line._

"Markie, do you really want to go through with this?" I asked. "After what the Drones have done to you? What if you get captured again?"

"Racing has always been my passion," Markie said as I saw him looking at his mechanical arm. "And I don't want this to happen to anyone else."

"Neither do I," I said. "But I can't help but feel sick about it."

"Kurt, we'll put you on sick leave for the time being," Vert said. "The last thing we want is for you to lose yourself. We can't have you leave the base, and you may be asked to do some maintenance and repairs on the cars, but you don't need to be in the Realms."

I stood up and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Vert…"

"We'd still like to have you race with us again," Vert encouraged. "Like Markie said, you did well helping him out. I hope what _we_ can do for _you_ helps."

I grabbed a plastic container and tossed the food on my tray in there before leaving.

* * *

_Racing Drones' Headquarters – Mining Area/Test Site  
Harrison Lau_

What used to be the forest track on Highway 35 had been deforested and became a mining area for resources. The area was heavily polluted after the Drones used energy bombs to blow up the mountaintops, but after becoming a Drone, the toxic air had no effect on me. RD-AF (Racing Drone Air Force) jets scrambled around the area, bombing mountains for the mining Drones to later retrieve precious metals.

The vehicles the human drivers abandoned were parked and spread out across the treeless wasteland where the shortcut was. Inside were deactivated Drones tied to the cars' seatbelts.

I had a bad feeling once Rød team leader Dimitri Harkov's RD-09 leapt off the track and onto the gravel, rendezvousing with team members Kristian Solberg, Rainer Jarkko, and myself. Dimitri has especially been a notorious figure even among the Racing Drones. Originally expected to join the World Race as the Wave Rippers' No. 7, he was rejected due to his extensive criminal record of bank/treasure robberies and police evasions. He found himself becoming one of the first ten Hybrid Drones intended to capture the Wheel of Power, two notable others being Annette herself and Maila Eiss, who went rogue. Even Gelorum showed concerns for Dimitri being in their ranks, but Annette saw him as the model Hybrid Drone.

The cars we drove had a different paint scheme; while they maintained a black exterior most Racing Drones, they had red windows instead of the typical green ones.

The same colors Zed-36 used to sabotage Highway 35.

Of course, unbeknownst to the other World Race drivers, I was another inside man for Gelorum. I emptied Tono's Nitrox 2 tanks, sabotaged Esmerelda's brakes, as well as supplied Gelorum with information on every World Race driver. The reward was twelve million dollars for myself and Kurt to reach the Wheel of Power before the other drivers did. But the true reward was boundless.

I saw the front of Dimitri's RD-09 generate a blood-red energy ball, aimed towards a red Metal Maniac car. "Rød team, understand this as you test your new weapons," he said in a murderously cold Russian accent. "They will serve as the gateway to the world Gelorum envisioned. The world that we, under Annette's rule, will make a reality. Hail Gelorum!" he shouted as he launched the bomb, incinerating the car. The red energy then created a force field around the deactivated Drone, launching out of the explosion, then pinning him down on each limb.

"Hail Gelorum!" Kristian and Rainer shouted in unison as their RD-04s fired two red energy bombs towards two different cars. I watched as the two other deactivated Drones launch out of their cars as their cars explode and end up grounded by the red energy.

"Harrison, destroy the orange car," Dimitri ordered.

I charged an energy bomb out of my RD-04. I was hesitant to let go of the trigger. _Taro…_ I already knew that Taro Kitano, the former leader of the Scorchers, was among the ranks of Dr. Tezla's drivers. The car that I was about to target belonged to him. Soon, the bomb started to grow larger to the point where my car started to creak.

"Harrison, release the bomb!" Dimitri screamed.

I let go, knowing it was about to explode on me. The bomb, the size of a desk, almost completely disintegrated Taro's former car. The Drone launched out bursting in flames, missing the lower half of its body and its right arm. As it landed on the ground, the Drone's head snapped off as embers burned away its metal chassis.

Two Repair Drones ran to check on the three pinned Drones, completely ignoring the destroyed one. "Calculating the average fatality rate. 10% - much lower than the standard energy bomb's 35%. Any potential injuries the human drivers may sustain will likely be minimal and will not get in the way of assimilation."

"Harrison Lau, we discourage murdering our enemies," Dimitri said. "To have them meet death at such a quick time is _mercy_. We achieve true victory by making our enemies _suffer_ , which will be our gain once we _assimilate_ them. Surely, you aren't thinking about mercy killing Gelorum's killer?"

I did not intend to destroy that Drone at all…

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

I hoped that after saving Markie, and after seeing me, Kurt would have felt better. But this was the worst that I had ever seen him. I went to talk to the other drivers about his decision to take a break.

"How I see it is like any other professional race," Monkey said to me. "Since the day Wylde got captured, Kurt seemed to be driving with the same tires running on just one tank of gas. Even after saving him, he still felt like driving to keep himself ahead and finding you was like the fiftieth lap out of one-hundred. By the time he reached it, he's blown a tire, goes one more lap, then is forced to take a much-needed pit-stop."

"Let's not forget the incident where Kurt was screaming, trying to find you while wearing that purple gown," Karma added, though she looked much more worried than amused. No one was in the mood for laughing; Shirako had his headphones by his neck instead of his ears, and even Dresden, who wisecracked at Kurt during the welcoming, was concerned for him.

"Going by Monkey's analogy, I'd say that's Kurt's attempt at running NOS on flat tires," Taro said. "I'd give Kurt a Realm or two."

"I'm surprised Markie wants another shot at the Realms," I said. "Probably trying to give Kurt a pep-talk or doing combat training with Maila."

"I feel like we've done what we could for now," Karma said. "The rest should be up to him."

"I agree," Tork said.

The rest of the drivers nodded in agreement.

"We should check for any sharp objects or ceiling hangars in his room," Lani said.

"We found no weapons in his belongings," Esmerelda said. "And we never had any ceiling hangars."

"What about the mirror?" Lani questioned. "I assume it's in every dorm room."

"An alarm will sound if he even just punches the mirror," Esmerelda answered.

Lani sighed a breath of relief.

All we could do was wait and anticipate the Drones' next move.

 


	5. Panopticon Dismantled

**A/N: Alright, this chapter is going to be a lot less character-driven compared to the last four and a lot more focused on action. Don't worry, there will be more character-driven chapters and themes, but for those wanting some action, this and the next two chapters will be up your alley.  
**

**If you have any questions or concerns about this story** , **or Acceleracers/World Race in general, be sure to leave a comment in the review section and I may respond to them!**

* * *

"Major Latvaa to Lieutenant Serpa, we have a report of an event that the Drones are hosting called the European Avant Garde Racing League," Latvaa radioed from the EU base in Germany to my car, Carbide. "They are going through human pseudonyms, sending mail to various professional drivers, and are working under a company called Odin's Treads."

"Sounds even more dodgy than Tezla's offer," I commented. "Surprised these blokes have still have a corporation running after the Yanks literally ran CLYP to the ground."

"Odin's Treads bought CLYP's stock after we targeted their company," Latvaa said. "We never realized that the buyers were Drones until we started using Acceleron energy detectors."

"I guess they simply went for a new name all this time," I said. "Where are they based, and what do they plan to do?"

"The EU headquarters is located fifty miles South of Paris, France; other Silencers are currently on a mission to take down the US headquarters in Kentucky. We will be sending you, Maximo, and Khan to eliminate the Drones and find any information on any contacts of interest. Your team, Alpha, will cover the Northern entrance while Bravo team handles the Southern part. Upon extraction, the complex will be glassed with the pretext of it being an SAS weapons testing site."

"Guess history's repeating itself again. Maybe we'll encounter a beautiful rogue Hybrid Drone on the way?"

"Note that there may be drivers that have already entered the building," Latvaa added. "If so, Charlie team will standby for taxi disguised as law enforcement."

"Copy that, Major. Alright, time to move."

* * *

 _5: Panopticon Dismantled_  
_Odin's Treads EU Headquarters, fifty miles south of Paris, France_  
 _Approximately four months after the events of The Ultimate Race_  
 _Finn Serpa_

The grey building stood in the middle of a grassy plain and had a mushroom-like shape and was the size of a football stadium. Support beams held the building from collapsing due to its unbalanced design, which will be exploited when the building is bombed.

"I'm getting too many World Race memories here," Maximo said.

"Remember that this place is crawling with Drones," I reminded my two teammates as our cars, invisible to the naked eye, magnetically attached to the building. "They must not get ahold of any more drivers, so we're taking this place down."

We stopped out cars on the complex's ceiling and got out before our cars drove out via autopilot. We entered an air vent and busted out, landing in a hallway.

"What was that-?" a Drone tried to say before I shot him with the EMP gun.

"Area clear. Check your corners," I whispered.

"Room clear," San Jay whispered.

"Second room clear," Maximo issued.

"Hallway clear," I said.

"This is Raffa of Bravo team to Serpa," Charlie Raffa radioed. "My team has just entered the atrium. You won't believe the number of Drones that are in the area."

As my team walked towards the atrium, we saw Drones swarm the lower levels. Drone cars were patrolling the bottom floor with two Sweepers parked on the Southern lot. A heavy Drone car drove up a green track, propelled by speed boosters before a portal opened at the end of the track that led to the Drones' HQ.

"I thought they couldn't access Highway 35 after we took the Wheel," San Jay said.

"They could have made a copy to get in and out of the real world," Maximo assumed.

In the middle of the atrium was a tower that, to the human eye, cannot tell if a Drone was patrolling or not. I turned my visor to Acceleron energy mode and saw three Drones monitoring all five floors.

"Strange to see a workplace be this active at 2100 hours," Maximo said. "Not even hospitals are this busy."

"Cut the chatter," I said. "Our profiles may be compromised if we take out the Drones at this state."

A purple Porsche 917K stopped inside the complex. The driver, wearing a black jacket and a purple undershirt, jumped out and shouted, "Oi! What the hell is this?" in the most obnoxious and arrogant-sounding British accent I have ever heard. "This doesn't look like a bloody racing area! Hey, tin can!"

A Drone looked at him.

"What is this? A sci-fi convention?"

The Drone dashed towards the driver, knocking him out with a single punch to the face before hauling him to another room.

"Alright," I said to San Jay and Maximo. "I'm taking out the panopticon tower; Maximo, San Jay, stand as overwatch and do not fire on any targets. Silence grenade out." I threw the grenade into the tower, then I shot a grappling hook from a device on my wrist and swung myself into the tower.

The artificial silence coming from the grenade made it all too easy, watching the three Drones move their lips without any noise at all. I took my EMP pistol and slot the three, falling like toy robots whose kid failed to pose them correctly. "This is Serpa, I just took control of the tower. Looks like this room has a security feed; I'm tapping in to examine the other rooms. San Jay, Maximo, begin planting the explosives."

"Copy that, Finn," San Jay replied.

* * *

_San Jay Khan_

With our invisibility cloaks and an artificial silence generator that surrounded us, we walked by the Drones like regular workers, planting C4 on the support beams on the fifth and third floors. Bravo team searched the ground floor, trailing the Drone that captured that driver.

"Be advised, there is also a computer room deep into the third floor," Finn informed us. "San Jay, I want you to copy the data from the mainframe. Bravo team, there are a number of civilians, including the one that just got captured, being held hostage in the ground floor barracks; approximately a count of seven with three tangos guarding."

"Copy that, Alpha," Raffa said. "We're going to knock out the drivers in the Sweepers first to extract the cargo."

"Roger that, Raffa."

"This is San Jay, we are at the computer hub," I reported to Finn. "Four tangos inside. Maximo, silence and clear."

Maximo tossed a silence grenade in the room, deafening the Drones for a short time. We ran in, shooting all four of the Drones with our pistols. "Lovely," I said after the grenade's effect wore off. "I'll copy all the data on a SSD. Maximo, watch for Drones coming this way. Two terabytes; this is gonna take some time."

While the drive was working on, I started browsing for any information I could get on the spot. One was an Excel file that showed the names of drivers with an X in the second column depending on if the driver was captured or not.

Other files centered around other locations the Drones were hiding in, plans to capture humans, and weapon testing.

One of the files caught my attention; a Word file that was titled, "Plan to Silence the Silencerz", and I swallowed hard before clicking it.

* * *

_PLAN TO SILENCE THE SILENCERZ_

_To my fellow Drones, it has come to my attention that the Silencerz have been monitoring and sabotaging our operations for a while. Following our failed attempt at sabotaging the NASCAR event at Daytona 500, we have obtained the remains of a deceased Silencer. This confirms that the Silencerz were monitoring us during this event and possible other events, and we already have problems keeping them a secret to the public._

_We are currently reverse-engineering the Silencer's driving suit and the remains of his car to create a device that can disable their cloaking technology and, potentially, their weaponry. However, the latter is unlikely due to the vehicle being extensively damaged. Regardless, this makes us one step closer to assimilating the Earth and, ultimately, the end of Vert Wheeler and the Accelerons._

_Hail Gelorum!_

_Annette_

* * *

"This doesn't sound good," I said.

"What is it?" Finn radioed.

"The Drones know we were sabotaging them, and they're decrypting Silencer tech," I answered.

"Shite. Let's wrap this op as quickly as we can," Finn said with some dread in his voice. "Bravo team, what's your status?"

"Raffa here. We have the cargo, and we are in the Sweeper. Waiting on your go to head to extraction point."

Suddenly, we heard a high-pitched scream reminiscent to the sound of our cars' EMP lasers. Our cloaking devices shut off as our bodies became visible.

"We're compromised!" Finn shouted. "Bravo team, make your way out! Alpha team, pull out and head for the second Sweeper!"

I yanked out the SSD with only 40% of data backed up and started running with Maximo. "I'm blowing the charges, prepare to jump down!" I shouted as I held the detonator.

Maximo and I jumped down to the ground floor, the jet packs on our backs slowing our fall. I then detonated the C4. The support beams blew off, then the floors began collapsing on top of one another. Drones were caught in the explosions and debris with some pieces of concrete breaking off the support beams for the green track.

"Get to the Sweeper, hurry!" Finn shouted to us, shooting Drones with his assault rifle along the way before four Drone cars blocked our way. "Shite, run for the exit! Charlie team, you better have our ride ready and waiting!"

No response.

"Charlie team? Charlie, do you read me?" The Drones marched towards us from all sides. "Bravo team? Bravo turn the Sweeper around!"

No responses from either teams.

Three light Racing Drones leaped high in the air towards all of us.


	6. Prison Break

**A/N: Alright, this is where the action really kicks into high gear, topped off with a little Nitrox 2 (or 3? *wink wink*). And we're back with the main cast this time.**

**UPDATE: I have added a small scene with Kurt's perspective, since it may factor in future decisions and would feel forced if I didn't add it.  
**

* * *

"The Drones have captured three EU Silencerz teams and have just returned to their headquarters in a Sweeper," Major Wheeler said to Maila. "We need you, Esmerelda, and Krakatoa to launch a rescue op."

"With all due respect sir, this is risky venture," Maila argued.

"I know, but those are our men in that Sweeper," Wheeler countered.

"We are likely to encounter heavy resistance if only a few of us go in alone," Krakatoa added.

"We could bring Vert in with us," Maila said.

"No!" Major Wheeler shouted, turning towards Maila as cold sweat soaked his forehead. "You know the Drones have him as a priority target. The last thing we want to do is have my own son in the Drones' headquarters and becoming one of them!"

"That's why I asked for him to join," Maila said. "With all of them centering on Vert, it will be easier for us to handle the Drones."

"I know what you're intending to do, but I'd hate to see Vert's life at risk," Wheeler said.

"It's bound to happen. This is what we'll do: Vert will distract the Drones; I'll be his wingmate," Maila suggested. "Esmerelda will liberate the drivers from the Sweeper while Krakatoa taxies them out of here."

Major Wheeler took a moment to breathe. "I hope you can keep Vert on guard."

"With my life."

* * *

_6: Prison Break_  
_Racing Drones' Headquarters_  
_Esmerelda Sanchez_

"Sweeper, dead ahead," Maila said as our cars, disguised as Racing Drone light vehicles, moved close to the guarding vehicles. "Alright, everyone, you know the plan. Krakatoa, make sure your bus is kept invisible."

"Yes ma'am," Krakatoa responded.

"The Sweeper is twenty miles from the prison center," Major Wheeler said. "We've only got one shot at this. Team, good luck out there."

"We'll need it," Vert said as we moved in front of the Sweeper.

"This is Esmerelda, I'm going in," I said as I slowed Carbide down towards the gear-like revolving door.

Vert and Maila's cars shed their disguises, transforming into Reverb and Octainium.

"Code Reaper!" one of the Drones shouted on the radio. "Code Reaper! We have Wheeler in the headquarters! Vert Wheeler is here!"

"That bastard will not get away for his crimes!" another Drone yelled.

"Yeah! Let's get him!"

"The Murderer of Gelorum shall be punished!"

"And I thought the Drones couldn't get any hammier," Vert commented.

"We'll take the Drones out," Maila said to me. "Es, good luck in there."

"And you two be careful," I said to Vert and Maila as my car entered the Sweeper's belly.

"Enemy vehicle in the Sweeper, preparing to dismantle," the worker Drones said.

Claws and laser beams emerged out of the ceiling, ready to tear the car to scrap and take me prisoner as well. "Hmph." I activated an EMP burst, disabling all the tools as they fell to the ground. "This is Esmerelda, I'm in."

"Take as much time as you can," Maila radioed. "Vert, time to kill some bad guys."

* * *

_Silencerz HQ  
Karma Eiss_

The drivers in the base watched the camera on Vert and Maila's cars as they started to take on the Drones. My eyes were particularly glued to Maila's camera as she rammed two Drones off the track with more force than necessary. The vehicles the Drones drove had armor roughly on par with our own cars (which, save for volatility upon a high-speed collision, were already quite durable, given some of our wipeouts in past Realms), but Maila really tested how the armor really held, shattering the windshield off her first kill, and breaking off a wheel and part of the suspension of the other car.

"That's two," she said. At one point, I heard her scream almost like a demon as she sent another Drone flying twenty feet away from the track.

"Your sister would make a good Metal Maniac," Taro commented. "I don't think any of us could match that."

"I told you she gets loco on the track," Banjee said.

"That aggression is going to get her killed," Monkey said nervously.

"I don't think so," I replied. There were no signs of her losing control of Octainium with every attack; she was completely in control of the battlefield. It might as well be a simulation run. Still, she seemed like she was out for blood as much as she was protecting Vert.

"I've taken considerable damage, retreating from the battle!" a Drone said as his damaged car, trailing smoke with its body torn, zoomed away from Vert and Maila. Maila charged an EMP and sniped the Drone anyway.

"Kill confirmed," she said calmly, but also coldly.

Vert was also holding his own, using just enough force to knock off two Drones ahead of him and easily avoiding fire. "That's two more," he said.

To have Vert pair up with Maila was, on the Drones' side, a disaster waiting to happen. While Vert lured the Drones, Maila was the trap the Drones fell right into. It took eight of us to rescue Wylde from the Drones; it only took two to send a psychological blow to their armada.

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

I was glad to see that Vert and Maila were handling the Drones on their own, but still felt uncomfortable, almost disgusted by the latter's reckless attacks against them. Some of these Drones could be Hybrids, yet Maila acted with absolute disregard over this notion. I could understand Vert taking them down in self-defense, but Maila was actively going in for the kill. Given that they turned her into a Drone, it seemed like she was out for revenge.

A desire that reminded me of Nolo and Markie's past selves. Selves I did not want to see again.

"That Silencer's going to destroy everything in sight!" Drone communications turned more fearful, the most scared I had ever heard from them. Given that the aforementioned Hybrid Drones were now driving in their ranks, especially judging from differences in vocal timbre from one Drone to another, I could almost feel their human side. Some decided to just flee, taking different roads and even flying off the track. Of course, Maila had to blast a cluster of homing EMPs at them.

As much as I hated to admit it, I almost felt bad for the Drones.

I took a glimpse at Karma as she stared at the monitors. This was not the Karma that was angered by a driver's reckless habits - this seemed like her taking mental notes on what she could do for her own driving. In fact, she was almost smiling.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"This is Ken, I've bailed out, but my vehicle is down. The driver guarding Vert is ferocious!" a Racing Drone, possibly a Hybrid Drone judging by his youthful and fearful tone, commented about me on the radio. "They're knocking us left-and-right!"

"They're human, they should be no match for machines!" another Drone shouted in response.

"But that's it; that driver can't be human! That purple car is like a Drone gone rogue!"

"Looks like I'm not the only one making friends," Vert said to me.

"I wish I could enjoy the carnage as you are," Esmerelda said.

"Esmerelda, what's the situation?" I asked.

* * *

_Esmerelda Sanchez_

"Eh, I got my hands tied at the moment," I said as I was about to brawl with the Sweeper driver.

"Human, you do not know what you are doing," he said in a synthetic baritone voice.

The Drone tackled me to the ground. I barely dodged a punch in the face before I headbutted him with my helmet, cracking his metal skull. I took the time to kick his lower leg and set myself free from his grip. I reached for my car to activate another EMP burst, only for the Drone to grab me with both arms by my stomach and throw me into a wall. As the Drone ran towards me, I grabbed one of the fallen lasers meant to tear my car apart and shot through his skull like a Jedi.

As the Drone fell to the ground, I told Maila, "Alright, I've gotten all the Drones in the Sweeper. Liberating the P.O.W.s."

I headed towards the prisoner bay behind the control room, overriding the security lock with my gloved hand. Inside were nine Silencerz and seven civilian drivers.

"Esmerelda, thank bloody God!" Finn shouted.

"I swear, this sci-fi convention has been getting weirder and weirder," one of the civilians commented in a posh British accent.

"Eh, make sure this twat gets put in the holding cell when we're back," Finn whispered to me.

"Esmerelda, heads up! We have a Sweeper coming in head-on!" Maila notified.

I ran to the Sweeper's control room and took control of the wheel. "Maila, the track's too narrow! We better find another—" A glass building caught my eye and I hit the gas pedal. "Hold onto something!" I shouted towards the prisoners.

"You know Sweepers don't have jump jets, do you?" Finn questioned fearfully.

The Sweeper was in my sight. "Es, what are you doing?" Vert questioned frantically before he and Maila drove out of the way. "Es, it's sui—"

"Oh, god!" San Jay screamed.

I steered off the track.

"ES!" Maila screamed.

But I stuck the landing inside the building. The top of the Sweeper scraped the ceiling like a snowplow and the ground collapsed, dropping us down a floor. The debris knocked the Sweeper's white revolving door off its hinges. _Yep. Carbide's done._

"Holy shit!" Raffa screamed.

I knocked down support pillars like bowling pins while explosions went off in every direction to the point where fire consumed nearly eighty percent of the windshield.

"Es, you're driving through a weapon's factory!" Maila shouted. "Get out of there!"

"No shit!" I replied.

The windshield shattered, and debris started raining inside. "Cover the civvies!" Finn commanded to his soldiers.

I accelerated again towards the window and flew out of the building. Carbide launched out of the Sweeper, crashing onto the surface of another building, and exploding on impact. I landed on the track, steering hard to keep the monstrous vehicle straight.

"No… way," Vert said as he and Maila passed by.

"Get out of the vicinity, now!" Maila shouted.

The building I broke out from continued blowing up from the inside. Glass, debris, and armed explosives rained down across the tracks below, some of it crushing the trailing Drones.

"Maila, I thought _you_ were crazy," Vert said.

"I doubt it," Maila replied. "This is a first for you, Es."

"Yeah, well next time, Maila, you're driving the Sweeper." I tapped the mic on my visor while stopping the damaged vehicle. "Krakatoa, can we expect a pick-up soon?"

"Look who decided to be a stunt driver," Krakatoa replied. "Alright, Es, coming over to pick-up."

A flat front bus with a silver exterior and purple-tinted windows drove inside and opened the doors.

"Proper timing, mate!" Finn exclaimed.

"We're on borrowed time, everyone!" Krakatoa told the former prisoners. "Move it!"

I tapped my visor's headset once I boarded last. "Alright, we're leaving with the P.O.W.s."

"Copy that," Maila responded. "Hit the EDR, we're done here."

"It's not working!" Krakatoa said to me.

"What?" I questioned.

"The EDR is not responding!" he said as he mashed on the button.

"Mine's out too," Vert said.

"Dammit, so is mine," Maila added. "Something's messing with the system."

"Team, we've got enemy reinforcements coming in towards you," Major Wheeler said, his signal becoming distorted and choppy. "Something's going on, we're losing you on camera!"

* * *

**RØD**  
Racing Drones  
6 **th** **Elite Battle Squadron**  
_Dimitri Harkov_

"This is Rød 2, we have Vert Wheeler and another Silencer in sight," Kristian reported.

"Looks like we've lost a lot of our guys," Rainer said as we drove through the remains of Drone cars.

"I know one person that's this ferocious," I said. "Rød 2, increase jamming levels to 5 and intercept their radio frequency. These two are ours for the hunt. May Gelorum give us strength! Hail Gelorum!"

"Hail Gelorum!" the rest of the team yelled.


	7. The Rogue Valkyrie

**A/N: Get some refreshments, this is going to be a long one (over 4,800 words).  
**

**WARNING: Moderate language  
**

* * *

_7: The Rogue Valkyrie_  
_Racing Drones' Headquarters_  
 _Maila Eiss_

"We've got four Heavies and…" Vert paused suddenly. "The lead car – that's the same one Gelorum drove," The four Drones started speeding towards us head-on. All the cars had the typical black bodies, but red-tinted windows.

I pressed on the fire button for an EMP attack, but there was no response. "Dammit," I grunted. I then tried to press the cloaking device, but that didn't work either. "It looks like those Drones are using an electronic jamming system in their cars." We steered away as the four vehicles raced behind us with the two leading drivers crashing into two standard Drone cars before turning back to trail.

"We're on your side!" one of the Drones shouted to the elite squadron.

"Of all the support, this is the last squadron we could have hoped for!" the other Drone ranted.

"We can't use any of our devices," I said to Vert. "One of the vehicles are jamming our electronics! Krakatoa, get the bus out of here; there must be a range."

"That voice… it's the Rogue Valkyrie." And I recognized that Russian accent.

"Dimitri Harkov." My hands squeezed on the steering wheel to the point of bending it. "I knew someone like you would stay dedicated to the Drones' cause."

"And you are a defective machine that we must recall," Dimitri said. "All vehicles, we have another valuable target: The rogue Racing Drone, Maila Eiss."

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"I'm getting the team out of there. If any of you are willing to support, follow me to the garage!" Major Wheeler said in an anxious tone as he rushed out of the room.

"I've got your back." Karma was the first to follow the Major. It figured; Major Wheeler was always protective of his son, even discouraging him from doing this op. Likewise, Maila was Karma's idol; the fact that she returned to Karma's life brought new purpose for her. Even if Maila was one of the Silencerz' top operatives, Karma did not want to lose her again.

Given that the situation had become unpredictable, everyone else followed suit.

"Let's move some metal, Maniacs!" Tork shouted to his team as they trailed Karma and Jack.

"Vert's one of us, let's help him out," Nolo said to Shirako.

"Giddyup."

"Kurt, are you coming?" Markie questioned.

I sighed as I looked down at the table. "I can't," I said in a crestfallen tone. "I wouldn't be any help to you, especially since I skipped training."

"You all came for me, and you know we'd all come for you if you were in danger," Markie said as he started to leave. "Whatever you do, it's your call."

Three months had passed since I told Vert I wanted to quit, and I still felt that way. I never even touched Battle Spec or Sling Shot during my time here. Even though I knew Vert was in potential danger judging from him commenting that his EDR was malfunctioning, I didn't know if I was good enough of a driver to help him, or if I would end up captured by the Drones.

Now I truly knew how Vert felt when he temporarily left.

I left Vert and Maila's fates in their and the other drivers' hands. But what if the Drones were too great for even them to take on?

Lani walked towards me, putting her hand on my shoulder. "You're still going to sit out?" she questioned.

"Yeah," I said. "But I don't think I'll be doing it for too long, now."

"What do you mean?"

"If Maila comes back, I'm going to have a talk with her."

* * *

_Racing Drones' Headquarters  
Karma Eiss_

The city was as morose as it was four months ago. The track still retained a dull green color, and every building had the same black exteriors with dim green windows. Since it was also snowing, Spiked treads were a must for any track with poor traction.

"Vert, Maila, can you read me?" Major Wheeler tried to call via radio.

"Major? This is Esmerelda." The radio was more distorted than usual as if an electric guitar player stacked a distortion pedal with the treble and gain up to eleven next to another pedal with the same set-up. "Vert and Maila are holding off against an elite squad of Drones. Krakatoa and I are trying to get out of the jamming range."

"Can you give us the coordinates?"

"I got you covered," Krakatoa said. The GPS screen showed a moving red blip a mile away from us. "Again, all electronics are being jammed, including our EDRs. Only our jump jets and Nitrox 3 tanks are working. You're gonna have to do this the old fashion way. Our hands are full with the prisoners, so you are on your own for now."

"Yo, my speakers just shut off," Shirako said.

"That must mean we're close," I noted.

"Heads up, we've got Drones coming in from behind," Tork said. "About two dozen of them, two Heavies, and a Sweeper."

As we approached a three-way intersection, Major Wheeler told us to "split up. Get two teams to take the heat off the Drones. Everyone else, we're going after Vert and Maila."

Shirako, Wylde, and Dresden took the left route while Nolo, Tork, Porkchop, and Monkey took the right turn. I followed Vert's father in the middle path along with Alec, Taro, and Banjee.

While the rest of the Drone vehicles pursued the other paths, the Sweeper followed us, releasing Drone motorcyclists from its truck-sized mouth.

 _How would Maila drive in this kind of battle?_ I thought to myself.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"Wheeler and Eiss are only false heroes that will never heal the scars of the world we left behind," Dimitri said to his squadmates. "They have yet to realize what could be their salvation."

"Vert," I said to my wingmate, "don't even think about a single word he says. Let's take them out."

"Easier said than done," Vert said as he and a Rød car traded paint, trying to knock each other off the track. Vert slowed down and knocked on the side of the Drone's car, sending him spinning. I pressed on the Nitrox 3 boosters and collided head-on with the Drone, launching him off the track twenty feet away in the next turn.

"The ejector is stuck! Damn that Valkyrie—"

"Rainer's blood is on your hands, Eiss," Dimitri said to me. "Rød 1 to Rød 2 and 4, do not let up. The murderer of Gelorum and his whore _will_ be captured."

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

"They don't give up, do they?" Monkey commented as a dozen trailing Drones barraged us with energy bombs.

"And we won't either!" Porkchop grabbed his anchor chain and hooked it into the windshield of a light Drone car. The other end also had an anchor, which he threw into the window of one of the buildings, attaching onto the windowsill. The Drone lost control as he swerved into the other Drones, knocking five of them off the track. The anchor on the building then detached from the building and hit the Heavy Drone's engine, setting it on fire before exploding.

"Nice one, Porkchop!" Monkey applauded.

"We still have Drones on our tail. Keep it tight," I said.

* * *

_Mark Wylde_

It felt haunting coming back here. My heart started pounding as hard as it did my first time here. Memories of literally hanging by each limb, the sight and pain of losing one of them, and the "gift" they gave me in return.

But I knew that if I dwelled too much in the past, it would ruin me even more.

"Incoming bomb!" Dresden shouted as a green energy bomb the size of a Sweeper rushed down towards us. "Team, Nitrox it out of there!"

We turned on our new Nitrox 3 boosters and flew out of the bomb's range like bullets. White fumes exploded from the exhaust and the rear wheels of our cars trailed white fire. The boost was enough to give an unexpecting person whiplash, and it broke my speedometer when it reached the 300 MPH mark. In fact, I felt like I was in a fighter jet rather than a torqued muscle car. "Whoa, I'm going to be feeling that for days!"

The bomb blew up nearly all the Drones trailing us. Those that remained had sustained shrapnel and fire damage. In particular, the Heavy Drone's windows broken and one of his tires blowing out, leaving sparks and having its rim leave a bumpy mark on the track. "Looks like they're still too dumb to know what friendly fire means," Dresden cracked.

"Too bad they'll just make more," I said as we saw Drone cyclists racing towards us head-on.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"I'm going for the Sweeper," Taro said as he drifted to the right with five motorcycle Drones crashing into him.

I saw an interchange with a track that crossed below us coming up and another Sweeper that was about to cross it on my left. "Hold it Taro, I have another plan."

Taro sped up towards us with a light aid of Nitrox 3, catching up to us and avoiding crossing into the mammoth-like tank.

"Alright, on my signal, turn right and off the track," I said to my team.

"I see what you're doing," Taro said.

"Brace yourselves!" Major Wheeler forewarned.

As we neared the interchange, and as the other Sweeper was about to cross, I shouted, "NOW!" We launched off towards the track below. The Sweeper attempted to jump off forty-five-degrees adjacent to both tracks but ended up bumping into the other Sweeper; both of them landing on their sides.

"Good thinking, Karma," Major Wheeler complimented. "This is something I expected from your sister."

I grinned.

"Speaking of Maila, we'll be coming up on her and Vert real soon," Alec informed.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

Dimitri's two squadmates sped towards Vert, both bumping both sides of his car harder than before. Fragments of both of his door windows flew in the air along with both mirrors, one of them lightly cracking my right windshield.

"I've got you, Vert!" I sped up, bumping into the left car, breaking off the spare tire on top and nearly sending him off the track, but the Heavy Drone clung on by his front two tires.

"You're mine, Valkyrie." Dimitri began charging a red energy bomb from his car. Had I dodged, it would have careened into either Vert or the other Drone.

My worries were relieved when Dimitri was knocked astray by Iridium, the bomb landing on a building.

"Vert, Maila, we're right behind you," Major Wheeler said as Karma, Alec, Banjee, and Taro trailed behind.

"Rød 4, deal with them," Dimitri said. "Rød 2, carry on with taking on Vert."

* * *

_Harrison Lau_

I saw Taro looking at me as his car pulled next to mine. "Taro, you wouldn't hit your own Scorchers teammate, would you?" I remember our time in the World Race and our attempt at reaching the Wheel of Power. How he never knew that I was also a spy for Gelorum.

"Harrison? Is that you?" Taro questioned in a confused tone.

"Taro," another female driver said, "you have a perfect shot. Take it!"

And I had a perfect shot as well.

"The sister of Maila, the Raven to the Valkyrie, Karma Eiss, is among their ranks," Dimitri radioed to us. "Rød 4, take her and the other drivers down, now!"

But I hesitated on steering towards Taro's car and simply slowed down. Though I was a Drone, I felt a human chill crackling through my electronic nervous system. I felt too fond of my fellow Scorchers and too fond of racing on Highway 35 for the sake of racing rather than sabotage.

"Wait! Karma, wait!" Taro shouted. I did not even realize Karma was right beside me before her car careened into me, forcing my car off the track.

I jumped out and landed on a track in the lower levels while my car exploded as it collided into a building.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"This is Harrison to Dimitri – I've bailed out to safety, but my vehicle's been destroyed."

"Incompetent waste of metal!" Dimitri shouted.

"Alright, Vert, it's a fair game now," I said. "One for you and one for me."

But just as I was hoping for an easy victory, Dimitri radioed his wingmate the following order: "Rød 2, let's take on Maila together."

"Yes, Rød Leader."

The second car braked away from Vert's car and boxed me in with Dimitri. The two Drones then traded paint on both sides of my car, bouncing it like a pinball. The purple windshield glasses shattered, raining around me. Pieces of Octainium's body started denting before both of my headlights shattered.

"Maila, I've got your back." Karma's Chicane raced towards me, trailing white-hot fumes of Nitrox 3 from the wheels as she busted Dimitri's bumper, breaking off the two tailfins.

"Maybe you won't turn, Valkyrie, but perhaps your little Raven will?" Dimitri taunted as he braked towards Karma's right side. Dimitri then threw his car hard on Chicane like a battering ram, tossing Karma off the track.

"No! Karma!" I yelled.

* * *

 _Gelorum Memorial Art Museum_  
One minute earlier  
Drone Art Curator, Historian

Annette and Gelorum before her would have loved the new set of paintings and sculptures that we had set up for tomorrow's grand opening. Annette and Gelorum, prior to her death, approved of all the artwork, as they showed a reminder of who Gelorum was so that we could remember what made our race great.

Dozens of glass canvases that portrayed her and her left-hand Drone, RD-L1, hung from the ceiling around the top room. One notable one showed her back side standing on top of the Holy Spire, observing the darkened city, her snow-white hair having been blown around to her right shoulder in the wind. This was painted by Hybrid Drone, Alina LeBlanc, who extensively studied Romantic art history in her past human life. The painting was both a homage and a hopeful replacement for Caspar David Friedrich's _Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer (Wandering Above the Sea of Fog)_.

Another was a comic book-like portrait of herself back when she was CLYP's executive with shorter hair and the right side of her face having the most deceptive human appearance. The left half of her face was peeled off, revealing her true robotic self. Her left eye glowed green and projected the words, in the Drone language, "A FUTURE TO RACE FOR," on the bottom of the portrait. Copies of this portrait were used for Hybrid Drone training facilities to remind them their new purpose.

The third one was a simpler one of RD-L1 bowing before Gelorum as she sat on her throne. RD-L1 was one of our most valuable Drones, carrying the collective memories of various elite soldiers and officers from various regimes in the 20th century, most notably Nazi and Soviet soldiers.

The third most notable painting was finished after Gelorum's death. It depicted Annette holding Gelorum's corpse in her arms, tears running down the former's eyes while Dimitri Harkov comforts her. Above them was a fearful Vert Wheeler, strapped by each limb on a circular table while a device right of him, shaped like a sarcophagus, was about to literally close in on him and transform him into a Drone. This one was, again, painted by Alina LeBlanc. While most of the artwork depicted Gelorum's reign, paintings like this one represented the legacy Annette would bring us.

In the center of it all was a thirty-foot metal sculpture of Gelorum, holding her mechanical left hand up high towards the glass ceiling. Her reach could be interpreted as her desire to conquer the Accelerons' world, her desire to transcend them, and conquer the world the humans lived in and beyond.

All that effort of the painters creating their art, choosing what art to display, hanging it all without accidentally damaging them, and carefully hauling the sculpture in the building was all for naught as a blue sports car flew into the room.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"Oh, shit!" Chicane crashed into a glass ceiling, barreling into a metal statue of Gelorum and smashing her upper torso apart. I landed on the glossy black floor breaking through the hanging portraits of the former Drone leader. The craft shattered around my car while the head of the Gelorum statue shattered through my one-piece windshield.

"Karma, are you alright?" Taro questioned tensely.

"Karma? Can you hear us? What happened?" Maila asked in an equally agitated tone.

"Just… desecrating some culture," I answered as I drifted around the spacious room, accidentally destroying more paintings in the process. A sole, small Drone ran across the room away from me.

I saw a nearby track through the window, and I pressed on both the gas and the brake pedals. As the analog RPM needle reached 9000, I triggered the Nitrox 3 tanks once more. I let go of the brakes and kept the gas pedal on the floor, launching me out of the museum, shattering a bust of Gelorum and the glass window. I activated my jump jets and landed on the track safely.

 _I'll thank Kurt for that stunt later…_ Looking through the rearview mirror, I saw the top floor of that museum ignite in flames from the Nitrox trails Chicane left behind. _I'm not going to live this down..._

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

Rød 2 hit the left side of my bumper, sending Octainium spinning.

"Now it's your turn, Valkyrie." Dimitri activated a red energy bomb on his car, launching it at mine. I again activated my Nitrox 3 boosters and launched myself off the track like a missile before the bomb could detonate and landed on a lower track with the jump jets cushioning the fall.

"This is Maila," I radioed. "I've gone off course; I'm going to head back to you!"

"You need to hurry; they're right on my tail!" Vert shouted as energy bombs blasted loud over the radio.

"Maila, this is Karma. I'm coming towards your location." Chicane drove behind me, the right side of her windshield broken, her right headlight shattered, and her right mirror missing with minor dents on the front. I sighed a breath of relief.

"You alright, sis?"

"Yeah. Let's just get back on the track Vert's on," Karma said.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

The two Drones followed close, firing red energy balls at me. Alec, Dad, Banjee, and Taro trailed, the latter with his lava plow armed. His Road Runner sped towards the two Drones, boosted by Nitrox 3 as he rammed into the second-in-command. The spare wheel attached on top of the Drone's car flew off, nearly hitting Alec's Accelium.

Dimitri then slammed on the brakes, zooming behind the Maniac. He shot Taro's Road Runner with a red energy ball, completely obliterating it to the point where pieces of it were disintegrating like paper.

"Taro!" I shouted as he, covered in a field of red energy, was sent flying out of the explosion.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

I saw a figure falling from a high distance in front of me, covered in red electricity. "Oh, shit! Taro!" I screamed as I stomped on the brake pedal. Taro fell onto the track while the red energy pinned him by each of his limbs. "Oh, my god." My hand covered my mouth and my heart raced, knowing that no one could have survived a fall like that.

But he was moving without even a drop of blood on him. His grunting did not sound agonizing, but as if he was struggling. "Maila, keep going. I'm getting Taro."

I sprung the door open and dashed out towards the Maniac. "Karma, I'm pinned!" he shouted.

"Hang on, I've got you," I said. I tried to pull him up by the arm, but the red energy then reached towards me, encircling each of my limbs and pinning me down as well.

Taro and I looked around to see Drone cars surrounding us. "Maila, you better hurry," I gritted through my teeth.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"Vert, steer right," I radioed. I activated the Metro Realm Accelecharger, which surrounded my car with a yellow aura. "I'm coming in head on!"

Vert turned next to the track's corner as my car zipped by, using my last reserves of Nitrox 3. Dimitri's car was about to charge his energy bomb, but he was too slow to release it before I rammed him head-on at 450 mph.

Dimitri's car flew twenty feet in the air. The entire front of his car was obliterated all the way to the dashboard. His red windshield shattered, bouncing off Octainium, and all four wheels broke off before his car tumbled hard to the ground before falling off the track.

Octainium was completely unscathed, thanks to the Accelecharger creating a force field that was immune to any collision.

I heard Dimitri's car explode one-hundred meters behind me. I smiled and said, "Good fucking riddance" coldly before making a sharp U-turn. I set my sights towards the final car.

"No! The Red Crow lost? Am I the only one?" the last Rød driver said anxiously. "Requesting backup!"

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

The red energy suddenly dissipated, freeing its restraint on us. But the Drones transformed out of their cars, blocking our path to Chicane. The Drones then launched the green windshields attached to their arms into the air before catching them. The right-hand windshields transformed into swords while their left-hand ones transformed into shields. The swords then sprouted smaller teeth that began spinning around the blade with a continuously sustained high-pitched shriek that matched the sound of their cars' engines.

"Why don't we move some metal?" I said stoically, smiling at Taro.

"I was just about to say that," he said, almost mumbling, as he charged into one of the Drones, roundhouse kicking him to the ground.

I ducked under a Drone as he swung his sword at me, then I kicked him in the leg, forcing him to fall. I grabbed the Drone's chainsaw sword and blocked a swing from another Drone, spark flying towards my helmet visor. As the third Drone ran towards my 7 o'clock, I kicked the second Drone to the ground, ducked the third's horizontal swipe and sliced him in half, sparks flying and tubes spraying green and black substances onto my jacket. The second Drone attempted to stand up but was put back down as I sliced his abdomen open.

Taro held his own as well, blocking three consecutive strikes from three Drones before pushing his sword and executing a wide horizontal strike, slicing all the drones in the stomach.

Two more Drones dashed towards me and locked their blades with mine as sparks flew like an erupting volcano. Their combined strength pushed to the point where one of the blades started licking my upper arm.

"Karma!" Taro ran towards one of the Drones, forcing him to release his lock on my blade and block Taro's attack.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

Sparks flew from Iridium and the final Rød car as they traded paint with each other. "Just die!" the Drone cried desperately.

Vert slowed down to box the Drone in. "Dad, I hope you don't mind a game of bumper cars."

"I feared this is what you would do when you got your license," Major Wheeler replied as they knocked the Rød Drone the same way they did towards me and Vert, breaking pieces of its exterior body.

The Drone swerved out of control as Major Wheeler hit the Drone's left rear wheel before I bounced him off the track with the Metro Realm Accelecharger still active.

"No, no, NO—!" The radio transmission from the final Drone car cut off as his car impacted and exploded against a building.

"That must be all of them," Major Wheeler said as he sighed harshly. "Vert, glad you're still in one piece." His tone was more positive than I had ever heard from him in months.

"I'm surprised myself, given my past streak," Vert said. Suddenly, Reverb's left door flew off. "Ah, hell…"

"Jamming blips have disappeared," Alec said. "All systems returning. Hopefully, our EDRs will work too."

"This is Lani. We can see you on camera again," the former Acceledrome mechanic radioed from HQ. "Looks like all cars are still operational, except for Taro's. Is he with any of you?"

"He's with Karma right now," I replied.

"Krakatoa, have you returned to HQ?" Major Wheeler questioned.

"Yes, sir; we're home safe," Krakatoa replied. "We're sending the civvies to the holding cells in the interim."

"Karma, have you got Taro yet?" I radioed.

"I'm busy right now!" Karma grunted tensely as the distorted sound of metal clashing leaked in her comms.

"Alright everyone, let's get her and Taro out of danger and call it an op." I marked Chicane's location and sent her signal to all the other cars' GPS screens.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

The Drone bashed his shield against my chest, sending me on the ground. I locked blades with him again and held on with as much strength as I could as his blade drew my own close to my neck. I kicked the Drone in the shin, then rolled to my right before slicing his head off.

More Drones marched in front of me.

"Taro, there's too many of them-!"

"PORK...!" A yellow double-engine station wagon flew in the air and crushed the approaching Drones. "...CHOP!"

"Maniacs…" I whispered to myself, chuckling.

Monkey, Tork, and Nolo followed, taking out the stragglers, the latter activating a blue EMP wave for good measure. Luckily, the wave had no effect on our cars, or else we would be sitting ducks.

The Drone Taro was fighting just stood there, seemingly in awe. "Hey…" The Drone looked from behind and had his chin meet Taro's fist, knocking his head straight off.

"You two alright?" Nolo asked as he got out of High Voltage.

"Yeah," I replied, catching my breath. "Never better."

Wylde, Shirako, and Dresden stopped by the first team.

"Whoa," Wylde gasped, pointing towards the pile of Drone carcasses on the track. "You did all this?"

I looked at my deactivated blade, covered in black and green liquids. "Uh, yeah," I replied nervously.

"You look like a total badass," Shirako said.

Vert, Maila, and the rest of the Silencerz stopped by Chicane.

"Guess that physical combat training paid off after all, huh sis?" Maila questioned.

I looked at my chain sword again, then the light cut on my arm. "I… could definitely use some lessons."

"And that building you leveled – it's not just some exhibit; it's the _Gelorum Memorial_ _Art Museum_."

I let out a nervous chuckle and looked at the mauled remains of Gelorum's head laying in the passenger's seat of Chicane. "I bet you'd do the same, sis."

"In the Drones' view, it's a war crime," Maila informed me.

 _I'm DEFINITELY not going to live this down._ But it almost felt satisfying.

"No point in wasting time, let's head back to base," Major Wheeler said.

I returned to Chicane with Taro in the passenger's seat. Just as I was about to hit the EDR, we heard Dimitri's voice once again. "Murderer of Gelorum, Rogue Valkyrie, the reign of Annette will fulfill Gelorum's vision. You will know."

"We should just put that tool out of his misery," Alec suggested.

More Drone vehicles started showing up from all sides. "No time. Let's get out of here," Major Wheeler said.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ  
Vert Wheeler_

"Welcome back," Lani greeted over the radio as our damaged cars flew out of the portal.

That was an intense mission, and I almost felt like at least one of us was never going to make it. The Drones had become more aggressive, especially the Rød Squadron.

And I knew from my gut that they were not the only elite Racing Drone unit.

It was no wonder an assault against the Drones' HQ was out of the question. Hell, even another stealth operation seemed too risky at this point if the EU Silencerz' capture had anything to say about it.

But, thanks to each other, we survived.

* * *

**END OF ACT I**


	8. A Very Gray Area

**A/N: Welcome to Act II of War Zone! There's been so much to take in for these last seven chapters. Hope you've enjoyed the ride and felt intrigued by what's been going on. It's going to get a lot darker from here, not that Acceleracers already has a dark tone for a kids' show (with some implications that can be horrifying at times).**

**I expect this fic to be about 20-25 chapters long, and I will be doing a sequel (tentatively titled Acceleracers VI).**

**I have started a Reddit account with the username, MercenaryWOBurdens, and will be posting some more Acceleracers-related content on their subreddit in the future! I already posted a thread that centered around three theories, so go check it out if you can!**

**This chapter is going to be another long one, more centered around the main characters and the Drones.**

**UPDATE: I had to make edits for the scene centering around Kadeem due to having caught myself in a bit of a block what to do with his character (besides the encounter in the Chrome Realm, as the Prologue showed).**

* * *

**ACT II: Among the Enemy**

* * *

_8: A Very Gray Area_  
_Silencerz HQ_  
_Vert Wheeler_

"That was some ride," I groaned as I parked my equally strained car into the garage's repair sector. I got out, threw my helmet on the passenger's seat, and sat on one of the benches.

"It looks like Reverb has gone through some damage," Sparky observed as he walked from the spare cars towards me. "But unlike your Deora II six months ago, it is still operational; all systems appear to remain in the yellow/green range." The crudely designed robot Monkey created had been supplemented with blackened prosthetic limbs from the Morphite Labs, reverse-engineered from Maila's own prosthetics. He no longer had the tendency to have sparks burst out of his body at random times, which reduced his tendency to blow up Metal Maniac vehicles to zero, and his intelligence had vastly increased. He even had his memories of being a Drone restored. "You also have a light cut near the left side of your jaw, sir."

"I'm fine, Sparky," I replied, massaging the cut with my thumb while my palm cupped my beard. "How's Power Rage and Deora II coming along?"

"We just updated the firmware on all the cars," Sparky said as he started overseeing Reverb.

I didn't feel much triumph, even though the mission was a success. Knowing that Hybrid Drones were present in the battle, I could not help but feel somewhat guilty after what we have done. It was difficult to hear the Drones' fearful comm chatter throughout, and some of the Drones I destroyed might have been Hybrids. Could some of them be saved like Maila?

The black-clad captain stood with her hands crossed against her abdomen. She had light shrapnel wounds across her torso and dried blood on the left side of her forehead, but they did not bother her in the slightest. She kept that stern look on her face and did not seem to think much of what everyone else was thinking, especially Kurt.

I found myself caught in a very gray area, and the Hybrid Drones seemed to sport themselves in a similar position.

And I knew it was going to stay like this.

In fact, I was anticipating even worse, come our next encounter.

Taro and Karma got out of Chicane. Their clothes had light burn marks and were covered in black and clear-green oil from their venture in melee combat. I was pleasantly surprised that Taro had only minor cuts and scratches on his hands while his sleeves were slightly ragged. "Of all the encounters we've had with the Drones, this was definitely the worst," Taro expressed wearily.

"The Drones have definitely become more of a threat than before," Karma said. She had a shallow cut on her right upper arm, her ponytail was slightly loose, and the back of her head had a light amount of blood trickling down to her neck. "Even their on-foot soldiers were more hostile. And that squadron we faced seemed to be especially skilled."

"And when was the last time the Drones have captured _nine_ Silencer operatives?" Dad questioned as he stepped out of Iridium. "We've only had one casualty ever since we first discovered them!"

"They have definitely created new technology to disable most of our devices," Maila said. "I'm going to assume they've used similar tech to capture the three EU squads."

Dad pressed on a device on his wrist. "Krakatoa, call in the EU teams."

Nine Silencerz, along with Esmerelda and Krakatoa, walked out of the revolving doors. Four of them; Finn Serpa, San Jay Khan, Maximo, and Charlie Raffa were former World Race drivers. Finn, my former Wave Ripper teammate, smiled at me and winked. I had a light smile seeing him after two-and-a-half years.

Finn shifted towards a strict expression as he turned to Dad.

"Lieutenant Serpa, do you know what happened that caused you to be captured?" Dad asked.

"The Drones had a device that compromised our tech," Finn replied. "Before we knew it, we were caught with our pants down and ambushed. It was as if they knew we were coming."

"We found a file that revealed that they have reverse-engineered the technology from the deceased Silencer, Bryce Benson's suit," San Jay added. "They know our forces have been spying on them."

"Shit, if that's the case, our other Silencerz outside this base could be compromised," Dad said in a flustered tone.

"Could our bases be compromised?" I questioned.

"No," San Jay answered. "On the SSD, the Drones reported that it was impossible to pinpoint the location of our bases while studying Benson's suit, even after they reported success on reverse-engineering our tech."

"When a Drone says it's impossible, it's _impossible_ ," Maximo assured.

"Likewise, because the remains of Benson's Metaloid were scorched, that same report said that they couldn't apply the same tech to their vehicles," Finn added.

"When we rescued you, we never saw them use any devices similar than ours," Maila noted. "Not even the Rød Squadron used them, and they approached us like rabid wolves rather than use stealth. In fact, there was only one vehicle that was jamming our devices."

"We don't know what advances the Drones have made for sure," Raffa replied. "That report San Jay mentioned dated two weeks ago, and it's established that Drone vehicles automatically make upgrades on-the-spot within seconds. We reported this to Major Latvaa, and the EU researchers are making countermeasures to this."

"Do you have anything else to say on the matter?" Dad asked the EU Silencerz.

"That's everything we know so far," Finn replied. "We've copied the files onto your base's mainframe, and General Walker has informed all active Silencerz operatives about this."

"Alright, let's shift back to the rescue op," Dad said, turning towards the rest of us. "I think we can all agree that the squadron we encountered were probably the toughest we've faced so far."

Everyone, except for the EU operatives who left the Drones' HQ by that time, unanimously nodded.

"Those energy bombs they were using were not like the typical ones used in standard Drone vehicles," Taro added. "Their weapons somehow restrained me without any injuries."

"Quite an impressive feat for someone who flew twenty stories in the air," Banjee commented.

"So it seems like they prefer capturing us to killing us," Dad assumed.

"One thing I've noticed was that, from their comms, all of them were Hybrid Drones," Maila reported. "In fact…" she paused, "I knew the leader, Dimitri Harkov, during my time with the Drones."

"What do you know about him?" Dad questioned.

"He's a Stalinist, and Gelorum found interest in his extreme views and ability to evade a multitude of police manhunts," Maila explained.

"Come to think of it, I remember his name appearing on the list of potential Wave Ripper drivers for our No. 7 spot," I added. "Of course, we rejected him upon background checks."

Markie sighed in amusement. "To think that someone like him could fill those shoes instead of me?"

"When Gelorum revealed her true intentions to us, Dimitri was the first to support her," Maila continued, her tone becoming bitter and resentful. "He wanted to see the Earth terraformed into a haven for Drones, wanted everyone to believe in the Drones' views, and believed that he finally had the power to enforce it. I could only imagine how much resentment he has over the fact that I, a Hybrid Drone, went rogue."

"He seemed more focused on you rather than Vert," the younger Eiss commented.

"After what we just did, I'm sure the Drones will be looking for me as much as they have been with Vert. They'll be looking for all of us," Maila said before turning her head to Karma. "I know Dimitri tried to use you to bait me."

Karma sighed as she leaned on Chicane's roof. "Given that they came up with a nickname for me, I'm not surprised."

Maila closed her eyes and chuckled. "But I doubt any other Drone could be as monstrous as Dimitri and Annette," she said in a cold, satisfied tone. "We've brought fear into the Hybrids' hearts. Gelorum and Annette placed themselves in a hole when they added Hybrids to their ranks." She looked at both of her gloved hands. "Even if what we do is questionable, if we strike towards the human parts of the Hybrids, Annette's regime will begin faltering."

"It would be a shame if it worked against us, especially after this mission," Taro said.

"What do you mean?" Maila asked.

"When we were fighting the Rød Squadron, one of the drivers was Harrison Lau," Taro explained.

Everyone who participated in the World Race gasped with some whispering to one another. Even I raised an eyebrow; the fact that almost every World Race driver was now Silencerz was already a surprise, but to see potential others on the other side was an even bigger one. "Bloody hell, the Scorchers driver?" Finn questioned.

"Yes, he was one of them," Taro confirmed. "But when we saw each other, he hesitated to attack me."

Karma's face sunk down and put her gloved hand close to her mouth.

"Kurt told us that Harrison was working with Gelorum in the World Race," I said to Taro. "He never really said why. I don't think Kurt knows either."

"I never suspected anything." The stern Maniac started walking towards the direction of his other car, Rivited. Karma watched before she put her head down again.

"Krakatoa?"

"He's always been an introvert," Krakatoa explained. "But I also thought he was happy behind the wheel and when we saw the movies he did stunt work in. He was friendly to even other teams, even hooked Esmerelda up with me. But it was a shock knowing he was a CLYP spy, someone the Scorchers knew almost like a brother."

"Considering that we all knew he was an inside bloke by then, I would not be surprised if he stayed with Gelorum," Finn said. "We all could have talked it out over tea like Kurt, but I don't think any of us saw him again after the World Race."

After silence started filling the room for a second or two, Dad asked, "Did any of you notice anything else of interest during our op?"

More silence. At that point, we just wanted to call it in for now. Only Maila stood upright, and everyone else, especially those who fought the elite squadron, leaned on their cars or sat by the closest benches.

"I know it has been a stressful mission. With such little numbers, I'm surprised we all pulled this off. I'm proud of you all." He turned his head towards me and Karma and smiled. "I'm especially proud of those who participated in their first op. Now wash up, get some bandages, and some rest; you deserve it."

All the drivers walked towards their quarters except for myself, Maila, Taro, and Karma. Oddly enough, we were the only ones who were wounded.

Maila's austere posture gently fell once nearly everyone was out of the garage. "Vert, Karma, you two have done well in this op," she said, smiling as she walked towards us before placing her left hand on my right shoulder. Since I was still sitting, she crouched her two Drone knees. "I could never imagine having teammates such as you two." She shuffled her sights between both of us. "Both of you mean everything to me." She stood up and started walking away. "I'll see you two at training tomorrow."

I looked at Karma, who stared towards Maila before the doors slid down. "Your sister's a force to be reckoned with," I said, "but she seems to have a soft heart for us."

"Maila's always looked out for me," Karma explained in a more soft-spoken tone than usual. "Always wanted to see me at my best." She took off her glove and fidgeted her fingers, her nails poking her palm. "The reason she betrayed the Racing Drones was because of me; because I made a choice not to become a cyborg at the time. It seems like she shares that same devotion to you."

"I could tell from the beginning she would play a part in my life," I said, "and especially in that mission. Although I have to admit that she's _murderous_ behind the wheel."

Karma snickered. "I remember street racing against some misogynistic pig back in the day. Maila dangled him off a cliff when he accused me of cheating, even though I drove an inferior car. Needless to say, he never raced in Portland again."

I stood up. "I can't imagine how much hatred she has for the Racing Drones with what they did to her and the animosity she has against Dimitri. With Harrison in their ranks, I just hope we don't end up fighting against more World Race drivers."

"You know, I wouldn't dwell on it while on the road," Karma said as she looked at Taro. "I'd just question it in retrospect."

I started walking to the doors. "You coming, Karma?"

"You go on ahead," she said as she glanced at Taro. "There's something I need to take care of."

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"Maila," I called as the elder Eiss was about to head to her quarters. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh, sure," she said. "Just come in for a bit."

Maila's room, while still retaining the Silencerz' minimalistic aesthetics, was more expansive compared to the other dorms. She had a purple glass desk with a closed white laptop sitting in the middle of it with the wheel logo in the middle. There was also a portable electronic tablet with a stylus laying next to the screen. On the wall were photographs of her taking selfies with her younger sister.

"You really love your sister," I commented.

"More than anything in the world."

On the closet hook hung a leather jacket with the Teku emblem next to the breast pocket. Next to her bed was a table with two chairs. "Just sit there," Maila told me.

"You really made this place your home," I commented as I sat down.

"It's my only home," Maila took off her black jacket and hung it on the chair's back. She was wearing the same tank top she wore when we first encountered each other, albeit bloodied. She looked at her exposed Drone arms. "I have nowhere else to go."

Those were the same words Markie said, both after prison and after the Drones captured him.

"I saw the way you drove," I said. "You seemed to revel in the slaughter. It feels almost needless."

"I know where you're coming from, Kurt," Maila said. "There's so much guilt already on your shoulders, and you haven't even driven with us yet."

"I know," I said. "But when everyone came to help you out in that op, I also felt guilty." I looked at Maila's eyes. "As much as I hate what we're doing, I want you to train me."

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"Taro." The stoic Maniac turned to me, but his face did not show even a fraction of resentment, at least towards me. Only confusion. "I know I was the one who hit Harrison off the track. I didn't know he was a member of your former team."

"I could have done the same thing you did," Taro replied. There was no bitterness in his voice. "I didn't know what to think at the time, and I don't blame you. We were all caught in the heat of battle; I don't think there's anything both of us could have done."

"It didn't seem like he wanted to hurt you either," I said.

"All I know is that our fight against the Drones is not as black-and-white as I thought it would be," Taro said.

"Krakatoa and the other Scorchers seemed close to him. They never saw it coming… what did you think of it?"

"When I learned that Harrison was a spy for Gelorum, I didn't know who to trust," Taro explained with agitation. "I felt fearful that _anyone_ around me could stab me in the back in one way or another. That was why I broke up with Lani." Taro leaned onto Rivited's roof. "The only people I could even remotely trust were the Maniacs and Vert; even then, especially when he joined the Teku, I was cautious. And with Harrison now being a Drone, it just feels like I'm living out this lie again. Honestly, I couldn't really care less if he died."

"I can understand. It seems hard to trust even the most trustworthy people at times." I put my hand on Taro's forearm. "Still, the best thing we can do now is support each other."

"I assume you're going to ask if I trust _you_?" Taro questioned.

"Ever since the Water Realm, I know you've been having feelings for me."

"You may not realize it, but you've done so much for us," Taro said in a warmer voice as his hand gently caressed the back of my bloodied head. "You devoted yourself to helping me through the Water Realm, even when our teams were at each other's throats; in fact, you were probably the catalyst bringing both teams together. And you've saved me two more times from when we were rescuing Wylde to our encounter with Dimitri. You are anything but deceitful."

I smiled as my hand moved up to his armored shoulder before stroking his chin. "I guess there's no point in hiding this anymore." I moved both of my hands towards the back of Taro's head, luring his lips towards mine, locking for the first time.

Locking like blades.

And the sparks from that lock ignited into a fire inside of us.

A fire that brought the Teku and Metal Maniacs together after leaving themselves in the dark.

A fire to light the shadows in the wake of the Drones' ever-darkening presence.

* * *

_Racing Drones' HQ – Gelorum Memorial Art Museum  
Alina LeBlanc_

"Merde… What kind of barbarian would do something like this?" I asked sorrowfully to my driver, Anna North, as we looked at the smoldering remains of the museum through RD-09's windshield. Drone cars and guards blocked off the ruined entrance from any Hybrid Drones wondering what was going on. "I crafted those paintings by hand. And this is what they think of us?"

Anna played the security footage on her dashboard monitor, showing a blue Earth-built car drifting around the art gallery, smashing the portraits into sharp pieces. A close-up showed a female human that Dimitri Harkov dubbed 'The Valkyrie's Raven'. "It's no surprise that the humans would do this," she replied, putting her hand on my black metal shoulder as she scrolled the video down to show the casualty report of the attack on our base ten hours ago. A total of fifty-seven Drones were destroyed in that battle, and nineteen of them were Hybrids. "They've already condemned us for who we are, and now they're reaching for this world."

"I can't believe they would attack our haven like this," I whispered, tears rolling down my still-human eyes. "Wasn't their own world enough?" I began screaming. "They are animals! I hope they blow up their own world!"

"Someday, it will happen," Anna assured. "Just know that when we're sent onto the battlefield, we will fight this cancer together. They will know Amour, Alina, and I'll be there until the end."

* * *

_Einar Johansen_

I observed the security footage taken from the Recon Drones, where they trailed the Murderer of Gelorum and the new threat, the Rogue Valkyrie. The latter fought the standard Drones with the ferocity of a demon and the precision equivalent of elite Drone units such as my Blå Squadron. I skipped ahead towards their encounter with the Rød Squadron, then closed my eyes after the last member was taken out.

_Gelorum's killer is still a force to be reckoned with, and his new wingmate is his wild card. If they stay strong, their actions will bring an impact towards the hearts and minds of the Hybrids. They have already brought weariness in their encounter. I hope to see them in battle when the Racing Realms begin._

In the back of my head, I knew that I would be sad if other Drones capture them.

* * *

_Zoe Mordstrom_

_Finally, a chance for a perfect death,_ I thought as I saw the footage from RD-10's dashboard camera. Not even in my Royal Air Force days had I felt excited as I saw the Valkyrie ramming into Dimitri's car like a Kamikaze pilot. _Vert Wheeler, Maila Eiss, our battles will be my greatest. May Svart see to it._

* * *

_Harrison Lau_

"YOU WEAKLING!" Dimitri screamed as he threw me around the track. The windshield blades on my arms shattered when I hit the floor.

"My car's steering wheel was not responding!" I shouted. "That's why I couldn't engage those drivers!"

"You lie!" Dimitri grabbed me by the neck and pinned me onto the wall. "Our vehicles are flawless! They are nothing like Earth's vehicles! Or have you forgotten? Remember that you've lost everything when your drivers knew your secret. We gave you a second chance!"

"I know Vert and Maila are threats to the Drones," I tried to reason, "and I acknowledge my passivity at that time, but we could win by obtaining the Accelechargers—"

"The Accelechargers will never matter as long the Murderer, the Valkyrie, and her Raven are there. What do you think will earn us victory? Useless powers that can be easily swapped away from us, or the assimilation of our enemies? Are you a true Hybrid, or are you just another human in a Drone's body?" Dimitri punched me in the face and dropped me to the ground. "Your driving language expresses the toxic stain of mercy. I will request Annette to demote you to the worthless cannon fodder squads if you cannot stomach warfare. You are Rød no longer."

Dimitri walked back in his replacement RD-09 and drove away.

_My fellow Scorchers... Taro, I am so sorry…_

* * *

_Drone Vehicle Factory  
Brian Kadeem_

_Your survival and their attack have both created windows for you to conquer the danger you've found yourself in._ Haziz's image projected in front of me.

"Shut up!" I shouted as I tried to punch him, only to go right through him. "I can never go back to my human life, even if I tried!"

_Your people and your friends are waiting for you to come home._

"Yes, and they will find their new homes here," I attempted to convince. "Vert will know. The Wylde Brothers will know! Maila will know!"

_That girl in their ranks is much like what you've become. One who fought the dangers she also found herself in. One who is fighting for us. And you should do the same, Kadeem._

My head felt like it was going to explode in rage. "That woman is misguided! A bug in the system!" I tore off one of the wheels of a nearby RD-08 and threw it at him, but it also phased through him. Haziz did not flinch at the slightest as he looked down on the ground. The wheel hit an unsuspecting Worker Drone that was building one of our Sweepers. A part of me knew it was my imagination, but I kept throwing pieces of the car at him. "I am saving our people!" I screamed gutturally, straining my mechanical vocal cords. "I am saving the goddamn Earth! Maila Eiss and the Silencerz… they are trying to DESTROY IT! The Silencerz brainwashed Maila into submitting to their destructive cause! What don't you… understand?"

_Will things change once the Earth has been assimilated?_

"Conflicting powers will _unify_ , followers of all religions will see their faith as a _LIE!_ And they will have no choice but to follow us!" I yelled like a rabid animal. "Everyone will be happy!"

 _Kadeem, no matter how dedicated you are to Annette's cause, you can never forget where you came from,_ Haziz repeated. _All you must do is align with yourself._ The old man smiled then disappeared, turning into snow.

"Your archaic ways will never compare…" I grunted through my teeth.

_Vert, as much as I would love to thank you for sending me towards enlightenment, I will make you and your whore pay for what you've done to our city._


	9. How Times Have Changed

**A/N: Another character-based chapter. This one will be largely unimportant to the plot, focusing on the thoughts of the lesser characters whereas the last chapter largely focused on the primary ones.**

* * *

_9: How Times Have Changed_  
_Silencerz' HQ_  
 _Finn Serpa_

"Finn, haven't seen you since the World Race," Vert said as he walked across the hallway towards me.

"Vert, how have things been?" I asked.

"Ah, it could have been worse." Vert's voice was no longer bratty-sounding as it was when he was a Wave Ripper. Though he was still eighteen, he sounded as mature as someone in their thirties.

"Well, when you're facing a Russian wanker and his elite mooks, that could've been possible," I said. "As least you have Captain Eiss in your ranks; from what others are saying, pairing you with her seems like a match made in hell for the Drones."

Markie walked towards us. "Never thought I'd be seeing more Wave Rippers again," he said.

"I actually didn't recognize you when you were in the garage," I commented.

Markie laughed. "Well, that's what happens when you're hanging out with the Metal Maniacs."

"I heard you and the boys are about to head back to Finland soon," Vert said.

"Well, Major Latvaa still needs us on duty," I explained. "And some of the drivers we've rescued actually seem interested in being trainees, so we're taking them back to our base."

"They have no choice anyway," Vert said, "considering that letting them go could compromise us."

"Yeah, but as dodgy as this organization is, at least we're doing what's right. I just think of it like a typical military conscription. Personally, I do hope we could go back to our old lives someday."

Markie started looking at his Drone arm with lament in his eyes. "Some of us probably can't."

"And I can't imagine what Maila and the other Hybrids are thinking," I sympathized as I put my hand on Markie's human shoulder. "Markie, you're a strong lad, and I hope for the best when this threat is gone."

"It's too bad about Kadeem," Vert said sorrowfully. "I'm sure his people would still accept him, but, without a leader, I can't imagine what's been happening since he died."

"Maila's told you before that there's nothing you could have done," Markie comforted. "We didn't know both the Drones and the Realms were going to be _that_ hard."

Vert sighed harshly. "Dwelling on the past is going to get me killed. I just need to think of the present."

"And we know you're too important to let the Drones take you," I said.

"Alright, Maila wants me to help train Kurt. Hope we can keep in touch, Finn," Vert said.

"Maybe we'll see each other in the Realms," I predicted.

Vert chuckled. "Let's hope we don't have to bail you out again."

As I walked away, I saw Alec cross paths with Vert and Markie. Alec kept his distance and did not talk to both former Wave Rippers.

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

Clutching Sling Shot's steering wheel made my palms sweat. My heart pounded as if I was starring in a horror film. Half of the cells in my brain were saying I needed to practice, but another half was wondering what I was doing, especially with Vert and Maila, two of the base's best drivers, training me. I knew we were running a virtual simulation program, but I also knew I should not take it as if I was playing _Forza Horizon 3_.

Our cars were held on a rectangular platform that simulates how our cars would react to the virtual track our VR headsets would display. It would tilt if the track was at an angle, turn if we were drifting, and bounce if our wheels were bouncing on and off the track. It was an amalgamation of a video game and a thrill ride, yet I wasn't too thrilled.

The other drivers in front of me were also training, isolated from us in glass booths. Markie and Dresden were also practicing driving via simulation. Markie was striving to be a more focused racer rather than a reckless one, and he had expressed to me how his older ways were too dangerous for him. Something told me that it that kept going on, he would be driving a Corvette Stingray again.

Nolo and Shirako were sparring with Esmerelda and Krakatoa. Karma and Taro were practicing swordfighting, thankfully using wooden swords instead of those chainsaw blades that looked like it came from a Japanese RPG. In another room, the rest of the Metal Maniacs were testing out new assault weapons with Alec and Banjee supervising.

"Starting the next VR session; Storm Realm, Drone levels are at 7," Maila said. "We are go in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

* * *

" _Storm Realm"_

Our cars exited the glowing blue crevasse of a portal and fell from the purple sky.

 _Ahh, there's no track!_ I remembered Markie say. I remembered how dangerous this Realm was, especially compared to Highway 35. Highway 35 was, more or less, a glorified sprint-to-the-finish, but the Racing Realms introduced dangers that could have outright killed us, not to mention the Drones. We were hardly prepared for the dangers that awaited us.

And even though we've done the Storm Realm before, I felt _even less_ prepared.

"Alright," I said to myself, breathing heavily as the red track appeared in my sight. "Just land on the track. Please, land on the track."

Octainium and Deora II landed before me without losing momentum. The moment I landed, my car spun like a carousel. I handbraked and found the front two wheels nearly dangling off the edge. "Dammit…"

"Kurt, you're lagging behind," Maila said.

"I know, I know," I replied angrily as I reversed my way out until Sling Shot ran parallel to the double-chevron inlays before shifting back to first gear.

The entire Storm Realm was just as I remembered it. Thanks to the Silencerz' research, the data from the Wheel of Power was used to create an exact replica of all the Realms except for the ones that had yet to open.

"Maila, we've got Drones, approximately a half-dozen of them heading towards us," Vert reported.

I punched my steering wheel and activated the Nitrox 3 boosters. "I'm coming towards you!" I shouted more frantically than I needed to be. I arrived towards the electrical fields that stalled me during my first run. Lightning flew around the track. _Focus on the track, Kurt. Focus!_

"These Drones are programmed with _my_ driving profile," Maila warned. "Don't underestimate them."

One of the Heavy Drones passed by both Vert and Maila and barreled dead set towards me like a bullet. I turned to the left, only for the Drone's front bumper to connect with Sling Shot's exposed rear wheel, sending me spinning once again. Had the platform holding my car actually spun at 360 degrees, I would have vomited.

My car flew off the track.

I turned my head away as a beam of lightning hit my car.

* * *

I took off my headset and started massaging my temples. _How the mighty Grand Prix racer has fallen…_ I thought. "What's wrong with me…?"

"We should try it again, but at a lower difficulty for the Drones," Vert suggested to Maila.

"If we are doing another assault op in the Drones' HQ or going through the Realms, chances are we will face another elite squad like Rød," Maila argued.

"No, Vert's right," I said shamefully. "My driving's abysmal right now; you might as well just find some guy who just got his license."

Vert chuckled. "Like me?"

"Well, you're different," I said. "Maila, just start from level 1."

"That would mean no hostility from the Drones," Maila replied.

"But at least I could try to _master_ the Realm itself," I argued. "After all, that's the _point_ of these tracks, isn't it?"

"Know that it will not be enough," Maila said.

"Just let me take it one step at a time," I insisted as I put the headset back on.

"VR session starting in thirty seconds."

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

Shirako had almost always had his headphones on. As I observed him performing kung-fu moves such as the roundhouse kick against our trainers, it felt as if his music were more of a benefit than a detriment, like how a soundtrack can rile the mood of a film. Even when in the Drones' headquarters, he was calm at all times. Hell, after the rescue operation, I was pretty sure even _silence_ could suit as his film score when his audio went out.

I looked at the booth where Kurt, Vert, and Maila were practicing their driving. Even though they were running a simulation, I could tell that Maila's driving was the most erratic while Vert's was smoother, and Kurt seemed like he had not driven in his life. Even though the VR goggles covered half his face, the way he gritted his teeth suggested a bit of fearfulness.

When Maila returned to us, a part of me hoped that Tone would have been one of the Silencerz, but I knew they weren't miracle workers. Maila was a bit sad with that notion, given that he was the first Teku recruit. One thing was for sure - despite becoming a Hybrid Drone, Maila was still her same self, if more aggressive.

But I guess when her enemy's an entire army versus some Portland street punks that were harassing her sister, seeing that darker side of her pop up during the operation was no surprise.

Had she still been in the Teku, would she also blame Tork for Tone's death? Or would she rather reason with me? Regardless, the path I took leading the Teku without Tone or Maila guiding me could have destroyed me.

Despite the different ways we built our cars, despite our approaches to racing, every waking moment, I realized more and more that the Teku and Metal Maniacs were much more alike than I tried to deny in the past.

* * *

_Finn Serpa_

A chemical containment team were watching the weapons testing room through the windows. Three Metal Maniacs, Tork, Porkchop, and Monkey practiced with their new weapons with Alec and Banjee. The Maniacs equipped their vehicles with light missile launchers and sentry machine guns and were fighting against remote-controlled cars. The guns had a large suppressor attached, and the rockets were also equipped with artificial silence grenades. It felt like watching a Michael Bay film without sound (probably the only thing good about them).

"Finn, what are you doing here?" Lani took off her gas mask.

"Oh, Lani, what are you doing with the chemical crew?" I asked. "Thought you would be driving with the others."

"Well, since I chose not to drive for them, the Silencerz have made me one of their personnel," Lani answered. "When the Realms were opening, we thought it was just a simple extension to Highway 35, but it was much more dangerous. We lost Dan, Alec, and Banjee to the Warped Realm; I barely made it out." She put her hand on her chin. "I could've saved them, but the nature of that Realm made it impossible, and I knew I wasn't good enough to beat the Drones."

"You know, I thought that I was going to die when we went through the desert leg," I told her. "Now, it seems like a bloody road trip across the Irish plains in comparison to now."

"Racing… no, battling Racing Drones is not for me," Lani explained. "I felt I was needed more here than in the frontlines."

As the last remote car was rendered to a chemical spill, we heard Banjee shout, "Wee-paa!"

Porkchop's Jack Hammer drifted to a stop. "I love the smell of burning oil in the morning."

"And I thought that sphere in the Pipeline Realm was this chaotic," Monkey commented nervously, taking his time to sigh.

"These weapons definitely work wonders," Tork said.

"You Yanks seem to be having fun," I said as I walked in the room. Lani and the containment team followed, putting out the fiery remains of the remote vehicles with fire extinguishers and oxygen purifiers.

"Finn." Alec got out of Accelium and walked towards me. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd talk to my Wave Ripper friends before we head back to Finland," I answered. "I noticed in the halls that you and Vert didn't talk at all. You used to be his best friend, but you two seem distant."

Alec looked down. "After the World Race, we had a falling out. I was reckless with my spending, buying a mansion in Los Angeles and starting a car collection."

"I guess since you and Vert were sixteen, five million dollars seems like you landed in paradise," I said.

"I got Vert involved in a street race, and we got ourselves in a pretty bad wreck," Alec continued. "Vert had to pay his own hospital bills and I made the foolish choice, spending the rest of my money on repairing Switchback. Needless to say, we've been keeping our distance even after he came here."

"Well…, I hope you're at least on neutral terms. The last thing anyone wants to see are Silencer operatives falling apart over personal shite."

"Honestly, I think it's for the best," Alec said. "I know Vert thinks that way, too."

"So much has changed over the last two-three years," Banjee said. "A part of me wishes we could race again for fun."

"I hope we can, one day. For now, we know we have a job to do."

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

I took off my headset after our second session and fell back on the seat, taking my time to breathe.

"Well, at least you made it out," Maila complimented. "Albeit a minute behind us."

 _Just make sure you stay focused. Keep your eye on the line._ I looked down at the dashboard and realized I made the same mistake Vert did and braked when I saw lightning. "I just don't know what's going on with me," I said melancholically. "Three months, I know I haven't driven for three months, but I shouldn't be sucking like this."

"You're still feeling distraught about taking lives, aren't you?" Maila questioned.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I know we are fighting against some psychotic drivers like Dimitri, and I know we have to do this, but…"

"Hmm?"

"I just don't feel like a soldier," I said. "In fact, even a simple race is just discomforting with all the things that have happened." _Especially with what I've done…_

"Kurt, it's all in the past," Vert tried to assure as he got out of his car and leaned near Sling Shot's window. "Trust me, we've all made regrets around this time…"

The doors opened, and an X-88 approached Maila's car.

"Gig 2?" Maila opened Octainium's left window.

"Captain Eiss, we need you and Vert in the Research Room as soon as possible," Gig 2 informed. "The Circle is acting strange."

* * *

**A/N: *dramatic TV voice* Will Kurt get his shit together in the heroes' next encounter? What is going on with the Circle Vert brought from back from the Accelerons? Turn to Chapter 10 in a couple weeks or so to find out!**


	10. A Conflict Primordial

**A/N: Alright, we're back on track with the plot.**

**Can you spot the Battle Force 5 Easter egg? (DISCLAIMER: I didn't mind BF5; I know it's a completely different series. I just found it to be like a watered-down Teen Titans with cars)**

* * *

_10: A Conflict Primordial_  
_Silencerz HQ_  
_Maila Eiss_

"We've got wounded! Get out of the way!" a nurse shouted as he ran past me, Vert, and Gig 2. Medical personnel frantically wheeled two beds carrying two injured scientists across the halls. One of them had grotesque burns on both his hands extending to his upper arms while the other was covered in burn marks from head-to-toe.

"Move, move, move!" Dr. Cortez trailed behind the pack.

"Dr. Cortez, what happened here?" Vert questioned.

"Those two were analyzing the Circle when it suddenly left them with severe burns," he replied. "We're taking them to the ICU right now." The doctor hurried back towards the group.

"We better get there, now!" I said to Vert as we hurried to the Research Room.

The room looked as if a light tornado hit. Some of the wall monitors were destroyed with sparks flying out while several ceiling lights were flickering. In the middle of the room was the Circle, which was crackling with yellow electricity while Major Wheeler and the scientists stood fifty-feet away.

"Captain Eiss, Vert, glad you could make it," Major Wheeler said.

"What's going on here?" Vert questioned.

"The Circle just activated by itself," the elder Wheeler answered back. "We don't know how or why. We just had two scientists taken to the ICU."

"Yeah, we saw them just now," I said.

"Everyone, stay put," Vert said. "I have a feeling this was meant for me." The young surf rat slowly walked towards the Acceleron relic. "WHOA!"

Suddenly, the waves of electricity crackled at a higher rate.

"Vert!" Major Wheeler attempted to run towards his son.

"Major, wait!" I shouted as I extended my arm, blocking him off.

The Circle shot a beam of light fifty-feet away, forming into a circular portal.

"They're calling out," Vert said.

"Who?" I questioned.

"The Accelerons. They're calling out for me." Vert activated a button on a remote. A moment later, Power Rage drove into the room via autopilot, parking next to us.

"I'm coming with you," I said.

"Look, I'm sure they're here for just me," Vert said.

"Well, you brought Sparky along to witness them," I argued as I walked towards the passenger's side. "Besides, I have a few questions to ask the Accelerons, myself."

* * *

_Road to the Sphere  
_

We entered a realm with nothing but a gray stone track leading straight to a light-blue, electrified sphere where Vert had first made contact with an Acceleron. Everything around the track was a white void of nothingness with smudges of gray that reminded me of Impressionist-era paintings.

"It's as if purgatory was a drag race to the heavens," I said, smiling as I observed the view through Power Rage's right window.

"Never thought you'd be a romantic, Maila," Vert commented.

"Karma teased me about it all the time," I said.

"And I take it the Sphere is where the deceased are judged?" Vert asked. "Whether to enter Heaven, or in Gelorum's case, Hell?"

I chuckled. "If I ever die, I'd be one of the demons making Gelorum my bitch," I answered coldly. Vert rolled his eyes.

Vert stopped Power Rage at the end of the track and got out of the car. "Wait here, Maila," he said as he took off his helmet.

As the young Acceleracer walked closer, a Accelerons emerged from the Sphere with the same threads Vert was wearing, floating in the air. Two more Accelerons followed him; one of them having a more feminine body shape.

"Acceleracer, you have returned," one of them said in a baritone, reverberating voice as his amphibious legs landed on the track. The drivers took off their helmets; the shape of their blue heads resembled that of Racing Drone Heavy drivers. "We summoned you here after overseeing your encounter with the Racing Drones."

"You summoned me?" Vert questioned.

"In a time of great conflict, it is time we shed light on the Racing Drones," the other Acceleron said in an equally alien alto, almost reminiscent of Gelorum. Was she Gelorum's creator?

I got out of the car and stepped forward. "Why didn't you destroy the Drones in the first place?" I questioned. "You know they've been a threat to you; why could you help Vert and the others?"

"Fellow driver, the conflict between you and the Drones has become more complicated than we hoped it would be," the leading Acceleron said to me.

"I asked a simple question."

"Maila…" Vert waved off.

"The Drones were meant to be test drivers for the Racing Realms," the third Acceleron explained in a light tenor voice. "But they were also given autonomy for us to race with them to prepare for Acceleracers like you, Wheeler. However, their desire to win became a desire for conquest, and thus, we were at war with the Drones."

"The war came to a climax when we saw one of us transformed into a Drone, much like what they have done to you, fellow driver," the female Acceleron said, pointing to me. "His power transformed him from a being of creation to a being of absolute destruction."

"So, that was Gelorum's purpose? To destroy everything?" Vert asked.

"No," she replied. Vert and I looked at each other in confusion. "When the Acceleron became a Drone, he threatened omnicide for both the Accelerons and the Racing Drones. Gelorum's goal was to simply destroy us and conquer the world, not transcend us and destroy all creation; Even she feared this."

"And to think that Annette _wants_ this to happen," I said. "To transcend you… she believes she can create this 'utopia' by doing so."

"What happened to the Hybrid?" Vert asked.

"We made an uneasy alliance to help the Drones destroy him," the leader said. "For this, both sides created a truce. We exiled the Racing Drones to Earth and left our fate to the humans. Had Gelorum used her own skills to win the Ultimate Race, we would let them destroy us. If a human won, the Drones would willingly let us destroy the Racing Drones."

"But the Drones are still here," I said. "Why didn't you follow up with that truce when Vert won?"

"Humans have become a part of them," the Acceleron answered. "We cannot destroy all that is organic; we are powerless against the living."

"What about the other Drones?" I questioned.

"Little did we realize that human memories have assimilated into even the Drones that are entirely machines," the female Acceleron replied.

"This truce is one-sided towards the Drones!" I shouted. "How could you be so gullible?"

"But you killed Gelorum," Vert said.

"No. Gelorum was still alive when we cast her into the void," the leader said. "This Annette you spoke of deleted her memories, killing her."

Vert and I stood agape and looked at each other. "So, she was just using Gelorum as a symbol?" Vert questioned.

"That is correct," the third Acceleron said. "She never understood our truce and believed Gelorum was weak. Her defeat was Annette's chance to overthrow her."

"Now it's become another human conflict," I said. "The gods have always forsaken their soldiers in war. I guess you're no different."

"In three Earth months, the Wheel of Power will open new Racing Realms," the leader revealed.

"Wait, you're still giving the Drones a chance to destroy you again?" I asked in an agitated tone. "With Annette in the throne, that's the last thing you'd want to do!"

"We have no control over the Wheel of Power," he replied. "But we can predict when the Realms will open." The Acceleron's hand glowed, and a small tablet of stone, covered in Acceleron symbols materialized. "We cannot be with you in the Realms, but we hope this helps prepare you for your journey. Be warned: While the first series of Realms were tested on by the Drones, _no one_ has ever tested these Realms, but we trust that you and the others will be able to complete them."

Vert grabbed the stone tablet. "Let's hope my luck holds out," he said to himself.

"Maila Eiss," the leader said. "While we do not condone your violent ways, if you truly are allied with Wheeler, we will not make any judgments towards you."

I smirked. "Good."

"But always remember that wisdom is a circle. What you receive, you must give back."

The Accelerons materialized a portal a mile behind us and started retreating into the Sphere.

"I know that you're angry at them," Vert said to me as we went back in the car, "but they have a point. If they show themselves to the Drones here and now, they risk another catastrophe."

I looked at my hands. "Angry, but not surprised," I said calmly as Vert began driving. "It's people like you and Karma that I've always relied on, not a divine power."

As we drew near the portal, the lead Acceleron paraphrased what he told Vert before. "When you two return, you know you will not be alone."

* * *

_Silencerz' HQ_

"Welcome back," Major Wheeler greeted after we returned. "Did you find anything when you were there?"

"The Racing Realms are going to open in three months," Vert explained. "We can predict which Realms will open and when with this." He gave his father the tablet. "What they told us about the Drones is worst than what we thought. We need to prepare for these tracks."

"Vert, Maila, those patients that we passed," Gig 2 said, "they're stabilized. The prognosis is favorable."

"Really?" I asked.

 _The Accelerons,_ Vert must be thinking.

"Catering hours are about to opened up. We'll discuss everything there," Major Wheeler said.

As we headed towards the hallway, Karma and Taro walked towards us. "Vert, sis," my younger sister said. "We were training Kurt in your absence; he just completed the Junk Realm at level 4."

Vert sighed happily. Level 4 was on par with when we faced them in the first set of Realms. "Glad to hear he's getting back to his old self again, at least driving-wise."

"He finished behind us by five seconds, but he's been improving," Karma added.

And three months later, I let him rejoin the Racing Division…

* * *

_Approximately seven months after the events of The Ultimate Race_

We heard the familiar alarm blare as the Wheel hologram began turning. Our cars were parked in a particular formation. Silencerz Team Loki, which consisted of me, Vert, Alec, Dresden, and Banjee were in front to scout out and assault whatever threats loomed, whether it was Drones or the Realm itself. The Metal Maniacs were behind us, intended on using their heavy weapons (i.e. plows, guns, and missiles) to wipe out a good majority of the Drone force. The rest of the Teku trailed to handle the stragglers with Krakatoa and Esmerelda making up for Vert's absent spot. We were also expected to rendezvous with Team Grim, a squad of three Silencerz from the Southern U.S. Division.

"Another day in the office, boys!" Dresden said as he and the rest of Team Loki got in their cars. "Let's take these tin cans down!"

"Let's move some metal!" Porkchop shouted as he began revving Jack Hammer's twin engines as if Hell's demons went to the DMV.

"Here goes," Monkey said with an even mix of nervousness and confidence.

Sling Shot's exterior body opened up as Kurt and the rest of the Teku started entering their cars. Although Kurt still could hardly stomach warfare, he looked more confident with little signs of weariness compared to when I first met him.

After Nolo fist-bumped Tork, the young Teku leader turned to Kurt. "I hope you've still got the touch, man."

"Thanks. I know I will need it," Kurt replied.

"Taro." Karma quickly walked up to her Maniacal lover, reached her hand to the back of his head, and kissed him, feeling his ducktail beard nestle up on her face. "Good luck out there," she said to him as she touched his black leather-clad shoulders.

"Likewise," Taro replied confidently.

"Karma," I called, "I know you got what it takes to survive. Make Mom and Dad proud."

"You too, sis," Karma said, smiling as she walked to Chicane. She had that stare of confidence that defined her from her first street racing victories up to now. Had she been outside in a turbulent day, her wavy, untied hair blowing around her would accentuate the aura around her. Messing with her would mean calamity towards her enemies, whether caused by her, me, or any other driver.

Now I knew why our parents named her Karma.

Some drivers described her like a clone of me from our simulation races, and indeed, she had been studying both my and Vert's driving for months. But she was no copycat.

"Lieutenant Colonel Wheeler to Captain Eiss," the elder Wheeler radioed from Octainium, "I'm off for this set of Realms, and I will be relaying all information from the base. I trust you and Vert will get the job done."

"We've fought dangers like this before," Vert replied stoically. "We will survive this one."

"Good luck in the Realm," Colonel Wheeler said.

"Sir!" I said.

I turned my head towards Vert before he put on his helmet. The Acceleracer's blond hair was slightly less rigid and longer, about two inches away from his shoulders. His goatee was even longer, hanging three inches from his chin. This was Vert Wheeler as he defined himself at this moment.

The Silencerz that were former Wave Rippers described his sixteen-year-old self as brash, daring, and inexperienced. Gig 1 and Vert himself also told me about the various mistakes he had made in past Realms; a part of him he hoped would not carry over. But as I looked at him, he kept looking straight at Reverb's windshield with a matured expression. He was confident without being cocky, daring without the perils going over his head, pragmatic while also creative, and aware of potential failure without a shed of self-doubt; he knew exactly what he had to do.

In our simulation runs, he had slightly more wins than losses against me. Even if he didn't win, I felt like he would play a part in helping another driver win.

"Let's do this right!" I said, to which Vert nodded in response.

The first ring of the Wheel of Power stopped before one of the symbols started glowing. "Alright, switch to slick treads. We're about to head into the Chrome Realm," I advised.

* * *

_Racing Drones' HQ  
Brian Kadeem_

I transformed into my RD-04 behind the four vehicles owned by the elite Blå Squadron. Their vehicles, similar to Rød, had black bodies but also had sky blue windows.

Annette rose to the podium in front of the wheel. "Today marks the end of days for the apathetic disgust that you call humanity," she spoke towards the drivers. "For millennia, humanity has revelled in conflict, in depravity, and they have found no cure for their disease. But we have found it!" Her voice progressively became hoarser. As the second ring stopped, Annette continued her speech. "The first Realm will mark the map towards the Accelerons, and by transcending them will we be able to conquer Earth! Vert Wheeler, Maila Eiss, and all the other drivers that stand in our way will know the glory Gelorum gave us!"

"God, does she have to be that melodramatic?" Tom Aarseth, Blå's number four questioned.

"Cut the chatter," Einar Johansen, the leader of Blå Squadron responded. "Team, make sure you keep it tight the second we get in the Realm. We are facing the Murderer and his Valkyrie after all."

"Roger that, Einar," Heather Andersen, Blå 2, said.

"Erich, set jammer levels to 0. We want our arrival to be a surprise Wheeler and Eiss will not expect."

"Roger, setting jammer levels to 0," Erich Zimmerman, Blå 3, replied.

The third ring layered over the Chrome symbol, and the portal activated. "HAIL GELORUM!" Annette screamed as hordes of Racing Drones raced in like a stampede of elephants.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

We immediately booked it the moment the third ring stopped and drove onto a black and purple ramp into the Wheel hologram generating a purple portal.

"Alright, everyone," I said. "Time to dive into the lungs of Hell!"

The surroundings around my windshield turned to a bright white light as Octainium went in.

* * *

**A/N: Alright! We're finally getting to how we got to the prologue scene! Sorry if I suck at describing character appearances in the time skip; it's something I am not that great with.**


	11. War Zone

**A/N: Settle in, we're about to catch up to the in media res prologue!**

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

"Annette to all units," the Chancellor radioed from base. "Vert and his allies have entered the Realm. Begin the assault!"

I pressed the camera feed from the Recon Drones and saw Vert's signature blue Earth vehicle along with four Silencerz enter from the portal rift.

"Time to put Wheeler and Eiss in their place," I said as I turned my gray RD-09 in a U-turn followed by the entire fleet.

* * *

 _11: War Zone_  
_Chrome Realm_  
_Karma Eiss_

The first thing I saw the moment we came through the portal was Chicane's reflections on the mirrored ceiling and both sides of the track. The track we landed on was purple, not red like in Highway 35 or most of the previous Racing Realms.

"It feels like yesterday since we went on that shortcut," the former Roadbeasts leader noted.

"Tell me something I don't know, Banjee," Esmerelda replied. "Let's hope there's no spinning wheel we have to drive through."

Only the 'shortcut' in Highway 35's Forest Leg had a purple track, and that led to an obstacle that had the Road Beasts and Wave Rippers ironically end up in last place. If the first set of Realms were already dangerous, I could not imagine what other dangers lie in these new tracks.

And as I glimpsed at the reflection through my left window, I had at least a basic idea about what this track was about to teach us.

"Trippy," Shirako quietly said, the sound of ambient trance music leaking through his comms.

"Shirako, stay focused," I said. "This place is like a house of mirrors – if you see your own reflection, you're better off avoiding it." Having been one of the first to understand the purpose of each of the Realms, I surprised even myself with this knowledge, having been not even a minute into this track.

Team Grim jumped out of the portal behind the Teku; unlike our division, they sported purple bodies with orange windows. The team consisted of Toni Berry in Technetium, Jet Blaney in Covelight, and Mojave in Metaloid.

"This is Lieutenant Toni Berry from the Southern U.S. division. Northern units, we'll be supporting you any way we can."

"Jet Blaney to Taro Kitano, it's an honor driving with you again," the former Scorcher radioed to his past leader.

"Same with you," Taro replied. "You better make it out alive, all of you."

"All teams, cut the chatter," Maila said. "We have contact, about thirty Lights, three Heavies, one Sweeper, and one G-class. Stay in formation, attack pattern: Alpha."

"Wheeler and Eiss are moving in," a female Hybrid reported to his group. "Prepare for attack."

"Which Eiss?" a younger Hybrid questioned.

"The Valkyrie is in the lead."

"Damn…"

 _Oh, sis,_ I thought, smiling. _You get all the glory._ Then again, it was her and Vert that the Drones want captured.

"Are we really supposed to match Vert and Maila in combat?" Monkey questioned.

I thought the same thing. Maila had always been my childhood idol; after two years without her, she had once again become that idol for me and several other Silencerz. Even after going through the first series of Realms, the countless hours logged in the simulation runs, and even being nicknamed "The Raven" by Dimitri, I was still dwelling in her shadow. I was, more or less, a footnote, being the sister of the "Rogue Valkyrie."

It made sense, however. While my win/loss ratio against Maila was too close to consider who was the better driver, the way she drove was different compared to me; she brought infamy three months ago when rescuing the three EU Silencerz teams, and I had the feeling her notorious reputation had spread up to today.

"Gig 2, hack one of the trailing Lights and soften them up," Vert ordered.

"Copy that, initiating hacking protocol," Gig 2 said.

"Captain Eiss to Kurt, if you're still having second thoughts, you better make that decision now."

"I need to see this through," Kurt replied. "I'm not going to quit on you guys again."

"This is Gig 2, protocol successful."

* * *

_Gig 2_

My optics switched to the trailing light Drone's point of view. I had complete control of the unit, but only for a short time, as prolonged control would maximize my CPU capacity or even destroy me. Of course, Major Wheeler would download my memories into a new X-88 unit, as he did when I destroyed the Acceledrome. I was just as disposable as the Drones, after all.

I proceeded to fire the vehicle's signature energy bombs on the Drones behind him, destroying three of the vehicles and damaging other units around them with shrapnel damage.

"What are you doing?" one of the Drones questioned. "Cease fire on our unit at once!"

"I've lost all autonomy," the hacked Drone said as I continued firing bombs and timed grenades. "You need to destroy me."

Two of the Heavy Drones braked towards both sides of my unit and began ramming me. _They'll never learn._ The controlled Drone pressed the self-destruct button. My optics returned to my X-88 unit's camera lenses.

"Seven KIAs, eight damaged including two Heavy units," I reported. "Initiating CPU cooldown, I'll be on standby for two minutes."

"Copy that, Gig, good work," Vert said.

"Team Loki, charge your EMPs to max power," Maila said. "Maniacs, get in formation."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

Alec, Dresden, Maila, Banjee, and I drove parallel to each other, blocking off the track as our EMPs began charging. Behind us, the Metal Maniacs armed themselves with a full-body shields and lava plows.

As the Drones inched one-hundred feet, Maila shouted, "NOW!" and we fired. The EMP lasers collided hard against the Drones, sending six of them, including the G-class vehicle, flying in the air while four trailing units were caught in the blast, spinning out-of-control, and colliding against three other light vehicles.

The other trailing units barreled head-on like torpedoes before launching timed grenades. "Team, evasive action!" Maila shouted. Explosions littered across the track as our team's cars drifted away, and even with light soundproofing, I felt my ears ringing. A part of me nearly tried to massage my neck, but I wrestled with that impulse and kept my hands on the wheel, steering hard and avoiding both the grenades' blast radius and the Drones that were playing chicken with us. A part of me wished I brought Power Rage out for its better handling, but Reverb's was enough.

Maila activated the Metro Realm Accelecharger and actively intercepted the Drones. Whereas the rest of Team Loki was avoiding them from collision, Maila was doing the exact opposite. The marriage of that Accelecharger and her hatred for the Drones was a match made in Hell. Grenades bounced against Octainium like soccer balls back towards the Drones. Enemy vehicles flew into the air, whether from the resulting explosions or colliding head-on with Maila, bouncing against the chrome walls and ceiling while fragments littered like rain down the track.

"Screw this!" Two Drones, including one Heavy, made a U-turn back. The Light Drone found himself in the Sweeper's way and tried to drift away, but the Sweeper's turning gear swiped him inside. "That Valkyrie is going to kill us all!" the retreating Heavy whimpered fearfully, not even noticing the EMP laser from Maila's car.

The Heavy crashed into one of the Sweeper's rear wheels, the tire ripping off with its rims leaving sparks across the track.

 _Maila's ferocious,_ I thought. _She could scare even Annette with the way she drives._

The last of the Drones zipped through us with half of them engaging our team while the other half was about to charge into the Metal Maniacs. "Maniacs, this is where you come in."

* * *

_Taro Kitano_

"Brace yourselves!" Tork warned as the remaining Drones charged into us. Thanks to the full-body metal shielding, the grenade shrapnel just simply brushed off our cars. Energy bombs merely dented our plows, and we deflected whatever grenades were remaining back at them.

I felt my bones rattle the moment our plows collided into the enemy vehicles, flying into the air like confetti. Adrenaline pumped into my heart and brain just as it did two years ago when we were returning the Wheel of Power back to Hot Wheels City.

The Drones that were hit transformed out of their cars in mid-air and jumped towards us with four more Drones landing on the track in front of the Teku.

"Monkey, you've got a Drone on you!" Tork shouted.

A Drone stood on Rollin' Thunder's roof and tore through the shield opening before punching through the sunroof. Monkey began squirming at the sight of the Drone snapping his green visor.

"Shake him off, Monkey!" Porkchop said.

Monkey braked away from us and drifted erratically. The Drone clung onto the edges, hanging on for dear life.

"I've got you." Kurt charged a short EMP burst and shot the Drone without even scratching the car's metal shielding. The Drone fell dead and slid down like an insect.

"Oh, that was a close one," Monkey said.

"We've got Drones in front of us," Nolo reported as on-foot enemies blocked the Teku's path. "Shirako, they're all yours."

"Alright." Bassline took the lead in front of the other Teku as the Drones leaped towards the cars.

* * *

_Shirako Takamoto_

"'Bout time I show what these new subs can do," I said as I tapped onto the equalizer screen and boosted the 32-128 Hz range by twenty decibels. The six subwoofers on Bassline exploded with visible, clear soundwaves, which were power enough to keep the Drones afloat away from my team as they passed me. I could use it as a makeshift trampoline, had the Silencerz restricted me from using this system.

"I will strangle that Stinku when we get back to base!" Porkchop shouted.

"Heads up. We've got a Sweeper heading for us," Kurt said as all the teams' cars steered away from its path.

"No problem," I said casually as I charged into the Sweeper's mouth. Before the claws and lasers could even reach me, I accentuated the sub-basses even further by another twenty decibels.

"I can even feel those subs from here," Mojave radioed.

The devices inside the Sweeper collapsed onto the floor. I saw the Sweeper driver and the ladder to the cockpit fall dead to the ground. Smoke filled the air, then the ceiling started breaking apart. The Sweeper swerved out of control, and Bassline was skidding around.

"Shirako, get out of there! The Sweeper's going to blow!" Nolo ordered.

I grabbed my Warped Accelecharger and slammed it into the device reader. The moment the sky-blue aura surrounded my car, I teleported back on the track.

The Sweeper's wheels had been dislodged, and the rear engine on its back was a ball of fire before the entire mammoth exploded into flames.

"Cool."

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"For the glory of Gelorum!" the female Drone shouted as she rammed the left side of her G-class vehicle into Vert.

"Vert, steer clear," I said as I lined up next to him, "I've got her." Vert shifted up and accelerated out of my way as I swung Octainium into the Drone, knocking her into the wall, shattering the vehicle like puzzle pieces.

"WHOA!" Monkey yelled as the Hybrid Drone flew in the air over him. "That was a close one!"

"Who's kill was that?" Karma questioned.

"That was me, sis," I said.

"Straussberg is down!" one of the trailing Drones radioed. "Damn that Valkyrie!"

"Target the Raven! That will bring the Valkyrie to her knees." The four remaining Drones drifted away from us and drove head-on against the Maniacs and the Teku teams.

It was too bad they were oblivious to the fact that we can hear their comms. A mistake made fatal the moment Taro sped up and intercepted them, ramming two of them head-on with Rivited's lava plow. The two Drones were sent flying in their air over the Teku and Team Grim, wheels severed from the cars before dropping down and exploding.

The third and fourth flew past the Maniacs, ignoring the other drivers and charging like a missile towards Karma.

Like I said before, whoever fucks with Karma gets what they deserve…

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

I made a sharp turn to my right, dodging two potential high-speed impacts. The Drones then turned back and began firing energy bombs at me. Their aim was all too predictable, made worse as Shirako's subwoofers subtly nudged the bombs astray.

"Hold still!" _Yeah, like I'll let you hit me._

The Drone was far too focused on me that they did not notice Toni and Mojave's cars moving behind them. All it took was two EMPs.

"Karma to Maila, I'm in the clear."

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

I watched as the human drivers passed by, leaving behind a trail of Drone scrap in the wake. The sight of the Valkyrie ramming into me played through my head like a video; a sight that I knew would never leave my eyes.

Even as reinforcements were about to draw near, even with Blå Squadron on the way, a part of me knew it would be futile. The humans cooperated with each other and knew that we would attack them this way. I was pretty sure they had a plan just in case we would strike from behind. Wheeler and Eiss already defeated Rød Squadron, they could defeat Blå.

Looking across the wreckage, there were no signs of any Earth vehicles - only Drones. Could we even capture even one driver?

I saw my wounded self in the mirror, missing my left arm with my forehead covered in blood. I was personally recognized by Annette as one of the best drivers in the Drone army. I was meant to lead the Drones into victory in this Realm, but as I stared at myself, I knew that I had failed. My defeat, especially this early, would be known to the rest of the Drones.

The fear of the Valkyrie and the Murderer of Gelorum that spread since our encounter back home was no fluke.

It was only a matter of time before the Racing Drone regime would fall.

And it was our fault.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"Looks like that's all the Drones," I reported as I observed through all sides of my car.

"Toni here, we have enemy reinforcements coming in behind us. A count of fifty." From my door window, it looked as if the purple track was necrotizing.

I groaned. "Gig, thin them out."

* * *

_Gig 2_

As my optics switched to one of the trailing Drones, I noticed how massive this wave was compared to the last one. Four Sweepers, approximately fifty Lights, ten Heavies, and a G-class car. Too bad they were stupid enough to cluster up like that.

I forced my Drone to launch his timed grenades at his own fleet. With very little room to maneuver, all the Drones in the blast range could do was pray that their vehicles could sustain that damage.

"They've hacked another Drone!" one of the Hybrids shouted as dozens of Drones piled up on the track.

"Erich, increase jamming levels to 3."

Suddenly, my optics switched back to my own as my X-88 unit fell to the ground.

_[TRANSMISSION CEASED]_

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"We've lost contact with Gig 2," I reported.

"There's a three-way fork up ahead," Maila said. "All teams split up: Pattern Kilo-Echo."

Pattern Kilo-Echo had me and the rest of Team Loki take the middle fork; Nolo, Tork, Porkchop, Monkey, Shirako, Toni, and Mojave took the left while Karma, Taro, Kurt, Markie, Jet, Krakatoa, and Esmerelda took the right.

"Good luck, sis," Karma said to Maila as they split off.

"You'll need it more than me," Maila replied.

As I looked through the windshield, I saw Reverb's own reflection phase around. The reflection drew closer to me, and I swiftly drifted to the left. Beside me, a trailing Heavy Drone exploded as that same ripple crushed them. Suddenly, a small ball made of chrome burst through my windshield into the passenger's seat before landing on the floor.

I faced the windshield again and saw chrome spheres bouncing across the track. "Ugh, these Realms just keep on getting better and better," I growled. "Team, if any of these reflections move, take evasive action!"

* * *

_Michael Rush_

Our Hybrid Rescue Unit trailed behind the pack, carrying Kendra Straussberg and other surviving Hybrid Drones in two of our Retrievers: a smaller Sweeper-esque vehicle that was more bus-like and meant for rescue rather than capture. Our vehicles were more lightweight compared to the cumbersome Sweepers, but more fragile.

"Lieutenant Daniels, we've got chrome spheres heading towards us!" I shouted as I struggled to drift my Retriever away.

"We can't quit right now," Daniels replied in a confident, deep voice. "We have too many important people in here. Keep the passengers safe from harm. Keep it tight, Rush!"

Never had I felt so much pressure trying to carry Straussberg back to base.

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

Monkey squirmed at the sight of a chrome sphere and made an erratic turn. It seemed like at his most fearful, he ironically becomes a more skilled driver. He evaded chrome spheres just like how one would turn away at a jump-scare in a horror film. His reflexes were extremely quick, moving Rollin' Thunder in unpredictable patterns. He could probably even win this Realm or other Realms just by these reflexes.

Porkchop once described that steering Jack Hammer was like a wrestling match. If that was the case, he was wrestling the equivalent of the devil himself.

The trailing Shirako did not have to put too much effort as his subwoofers blasting the chrome spheres away from him.

"The Drones have slowed down their fire," Tork said. "Let's focus on the chrome balls in our way." Having been in multiple Realms together, I began to realize how skilled Tork really was in retrospect. Had Markie and Gig never interfered during our race in the Coast Road, he might have even won.

Behind us, some of the Drones' reaction times were ironically not as precise as I believed, as several chrome spheres glassed four Drones behind us; one accidently careened into another when attempting to evade. The two Sweepers chasing us were heavily barraged by those spheres. The Drones were also squirming almost as fearfully as Monkey was, the timbre of their voices almost reminding me of Sparky before the Silencerz upgraded him. Worse was the fact that while the chrome spheres usually bounced straight, Shirako's music made them bounce erratically at multiple angles, making it even more hellish for the Drones.

"Ugh, it's no use trying to capture these guys if these damn balls get in our way!" one of the Drones shouted.

"Pull it together—AAAAAGHH!"

"Oh, yeah," the Drone said with anxious sarcasm. "I'm pulling it together. I'm probably gonna die!"

"Where's Blå Squadron when we need them?"

I remembered what Karma theorized about the Racing Drones when she studied one of them. _The Drone's driving is very precise, like a machine, but there are some things it does perfectly: The skills that were especially tested in each of the Realms we've gone into._

"They're getting crushed like ants," Mojave commented. "They must've had bad batches created."

But here, about half the Drones behind us were failing at this skill. Even the ones that were leading were driving much more erratically than what was necessary as they traded pain with the chrome walls. Perhaps introducing Hybrid Drones in their ranks affected that ability? Hell, judging from the intel Vert gave us about giving human creativity to each of the Drones, could they have accidentally had _fear_ installed into their programming?

"Let's use this to our advantage," Toni said.

I smiled. "This Realm is nothing special. We've got this."

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

My heart raced like fire as we were dodging the spheres. The track reminded me of the Storm Realm once more with the notion of focusing on the track rather than get distracted by the obstacles. At least one was less likely to die from getting their car zapped by lightning, but in this case, if I made a wrong move, death was almost guaranteed, even with the EDR.

Then, we heard Colonel Wheeler's transmission, garbled in distortion. "All teams, we're losing you on camera. They must have a jam—"

This was the same situation Vert and Maila were in when they fought Rød.

* * *

 **BLÅ**  
**Racing Drones**  
**2nd Elite Battle Squadron**  
_Einar Johansen_

"This is Blå 2 to Blå 1," Heather said. "There's no signs of the Murderer of Gelorum or the Valkyrie in this group. We've taken a wrong turn."

"Maybe not," I began to argue. "The Valkyrie's Raven is among this group. We can take Wheeler and Eiss at a later time. For now, we should do a service for Annette."

"Roger, boss," the team said in unison.

"Blå team, the targets are in range. Release your bombs!"

* * *

_Mark Wylde_

"Long-range energy bombs! Break! Break!" Karma shouted as a barrage of blue energy bombs chased towards us; two of them hit Krakatoa and Kurt.

"Shit! This is Krakatoa! I'm hit and the EDR's not working!"

"This is Es, I'm coming for you!" Esmerelda's Technetium made a U-turn backwards, passing the Drones before heading towards Krakatoa's damaged Carbide.

"Let them go," one of the Drones ordered. "Stay with the Raven."

Sling Shot's rear engine was on fire. "Dammit, my EDR's not functioning!" he shouted.

I pulled up to him. "Get out of there and hop on!"

Kurt opened the body door, which flew off into the air. "Jump, Kurt!"

My brother unbuckled his seat belt, stood on his seat, and made a leap of faith onto Spine Buster's roof mere seconds before what was left of Sling Shot exploded.

Had I had that mentality around the time when we duked it out in the Junk Realm, I would have left him to fend for himself. That person would probably punch me in the face for saving the brother he hated with a passion. After seeing Kurt down for the past six months, I could not bear to see him dead.

I popped off Spine Buster's roof, letting Kurt climb down to the back behind my seat. "You alright back there?" I asked.

Kurt leaned back. "I'm fine… I'm fine."

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"We've got more Drones behind us. Looks like another elite squadron just like Rød," I observed, seeing one G-class vehicle with three Heavies. Unlike Rød, this squadron had blue windows.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kurt said as he peaked over Spine Buster's roof.

"Electronics are being jammed," Jet said. "We're going to have to take these guys out."

"So, you're the Valkyrie's Raven?" the driver in the G-class vehicle said. "The name is Einar Johansen of Blå Squadron. Your defeat by our hands will make good practice when we face your sister."

"It's time to pay for destroying the Gelorum Memorial Art Museum," a female Blå member said.

We were boxed in between the bouncing spheres and the new enemy squadron. Without Vert or Maila on the same track, this was the worst kind of predicament I expected to face.

But when have situations like these stopped us before?

* * *

 **A/N: (DBZ narrator impersonation) Will Karma be able to handle the** **Blå Squadron on her own? What is going to happen to Vert at the end of the Chrome Realm? Find out next time on War Zone!**


	12. The Raven and Her Einherjar

_12: The Raven and Her Einherjar_   
_Chrome Realm_   
_Karma Eiss_

Einar sped to my left side and pinned me towards the wall. "She's done," the female Drone said as her vehicle began charging her energy bomb.

"Karma, I've got you!" Taro said as he handbraked to the second vehicle, connecting with the female Drone's tire and spinning her aside, forcing the bomb into a chrome sphere.

"Thanks, Taro," I said before I rammed Einar back.

"Taro, I've got your back," Jet said as he slowed down towards his former leader.

As soon as a chrome sphere headed for Einar's direction, he handbraked and slid behind me. He charged another energy bomb behind me, but I evaded the moment it launched. Taro activated his lava plow and charged into him, destroying the tailfins.

"That driver in the orange car is looking out for her," Einar noted. "Blå 3 and Blå 4, take on those two trailing drivers. Blå 2, focus on the Raven.

* * *

_Esmerelda Sanchez_

"Get in!" I shouted to Krakatoa as he started limping my way. "We gotta get the hell out of here!" I got out of Technetium and threw one of his arms over my shoulder, guiding him to the passenger's seat.

"Oh, my god!" Krakatoa shouted as he pointed behind me. I saw a giant, quad pedal praying mantis-like Drone rush towards Carbide and literally began ripping the car apart with its two claws before eating the remains.

"Shit, blow the Nitrox detonators!" I screamed.

As the mantis devoured the rest of Carbide's Krakatoa tapped the button on the remote. The mantis imploded in the moment, leaving remains of scrap metal, burning with white fire, in the wake.

"Where did that thing come from?" I questioned as I drove forward.

"Annette's factories," Krakatoa replied bluntly.

"No shit," I said.

"On a serious note, definitely nothing like we've seen before," Krakatoa said. "They _really_ want us dead or captured."

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

"Reinforcements are coming in," Toni said. "You are not going to believe what I see."

"What is it?" I questioned.

"We have a pack of robot wolves," Toni explained.

"You're kidding, right?" Monkey questioned nervously.

I looked in the door mirror to see four Drone wolves speeding towards us. Their robotic claws scraped across the track at the speed of an F1 car and their mouths let out a cacophonous, guttural growl before firing a rapid barrage of energy bombs.

"Look out!" I screamed as we drifted erratically, juggling both the chrome spheres and the bombs. The wolves easily dodged the spheres with almost supernatural reflexes, and they were easily spread out to avoid any collateral damage.

"I'm hit!" Mojave shouted as Metaloid's external body began to fall apart.

Toni drove up to him. "No man left behind! Get on!"

Mojave jumped on Technetium's roof just before one of the wolves caught his car with its teeth, tossed it into the air, then caught it again, chewing on its metal chassis like hard candy.

"It's an acquired taste," Mojave shouted as he activated the detonator, blowing up the Nitrox tanks in his car and obliterating the wolf's head; the remains of its body fell on its left side.

* * *

_Taro Kitano_

"Jet, serpentine!" I ordered as we slalomed against the two trailing vehicles' energy bombs.

"Those drivers are crazy!" Jet commented.

One of the vehicles collided hard onto Jet's Covelight before a chrome sphere hit the front of his car, dislodging his front two wheels.

"Dang it!"

I looked towards Karma as the two leading Blå vehicles pursued Karma like wolves. A part of me worried that she and Wylde would be on their own, but I also could not abandon my former comrade. Though I saw Esmerelda and Krakatoa trailing a quarter-mile behind us, Jet would have to ride on the roof of Technetium.

"Taro, get Jet out of there!" Karma commanded. "I've got these guys."

"I'll come back for you," I called as I turned back towards the smoking remains of Jet's car.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"Blå 1 to all units, the Raven is history," Einar said. "Karma Eiss, it's been an honor."

"If Maila and Vert were here, this would all be over," Kurt said. Only Wylde and I were in front while the four-man Blå Squadron loomed behind us.

Had Maila taken the Warped Realm Accelecharger instead of Shirako, she would have intercepted the squadron in a heartbeat. And I knew she would not be able to drive back towards the three-way fork with Drones and chrome spheres in her way; she was also dedicated to Vert as if he was her lover.

Blå Squadron knew the skill for this Realm and used it against Jet. Their teamwork was on par with Vert and Maila after they tried to corner me in for an attack. But I figured out their signature attack.

"We don't need them," I said confidently.

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

"I really wish Vert and Maila were here! WHOA!" As Monkey dodged another barrage from the wolves' energy bombs, he screamed as a chrome sphere hit Rollin' Thunder's roof. The two rear wheels fell off, and his car was about to crash into a wall at a sharp left turn a mile away.

Porkchop drove to his left side. "Jump, Monkey!"

"Oh, shit…" Monkey opened his door, which flew off, and he made a leap of faith, grabbing Jack Hammer's right car door handle and the edge of the open window.

"Porkchop, turn! Turn!" Monkey whimpered as Jack Hammer was about to careen into the wall. Porkchop steered hard left, and the chrome wall was less than a foot away from Monkey's shoulder. The remains of Rollin' Thunder exploded on impact when it hit the chrome wall.

And Monkey let out his signature "PORKCHOP!" scream as the soles of his shoes started to wear off.

One of the wolves turned his head towards me.

"Nolo, he's aiming right for you!" Tork shouted.

As we neared a two-way fork, I drifted right, away from the bomb's next handful of barrages, taking the right fork while everyone else took the left one. _Shit._ Two of the wolves followed the rest of the team while one wolf chased me.

"I got cut off!" I reported as I punched the steering wheel. "I'll find another way around!"

The chrome spheres bounced around at even more frequent rates than before. Behind me, the Wolf tripped on a ball and tumbled on the ground, being pounded while he was down.

As I looked forward, the purple track led to a completely chrome pipeline!

I felt like hurling as I was skidding at all angles, even upside-down, not to mention constantly seeing High Voltage's own reflection. The pipeline overall was even smaller than what I saw in the Neon Pipeline Realm. _I wish I brought that Accelecharger with me…_

As the pipeline led to a straightaway, I saw a purple obstruction, and I braked to a stop. There was a gap small enough for my car to drive through it. "A Hyperpod."

Attached to this machine was a giant harpoon that hung above. As my car's systems linked up to the Hyperpod, I saw the rest of the drivers and the chasing Drones at a nearby track.

* * *

_Tork Maddox_

"I'm going to take them on!" Porkchop shouted. "You go on ahead!"

"Porkchop, it's suicide!" Monkey protested as Porkchop braked behind the team.

"Porkchop, if you fight them, you're asking for them to chew you up!" I agreed.

"You won't have to. I will," Nolo radioed. A harpoon stabbed one of the wolves' leg. High Voltage, commandeering a purple Hyperpod, flew onto the track.

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

I hit the brakes and shifted to reverse. The harpoon cable stretched, tearing the wolf's leg off, and landing on his side.

"I owe you one, Nolo!" Tork radioed.

I retracted the harpoon and shot at the final wolf's stomach. "Make that twice!" I replied as the tow cable stretched, forcing him to fall as well on the edge of the track. "Holy shit…" I said to myself.

The wolf tipped and fell over the edge. " _Oh_ , shit!" The Hyperpod flung over and landed on the harpoon crane, slowly dragging its way to the edge of the track.

I flung High Voltage's door open and dropped out as my car and the Hyperpod fell, exploding as it hit the ground. I grabbed onto the lit edge of the track, hanging on for dear life.

Hollowback braked on a dime and Tork ran out. "I've got you!" he said as he held out his hand.

"You make a good team," Toni commented as Tork pulled me up.

"I guess now you owe me _one time_ ," I said to Tork as we returned to Hollowback.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

One of the Heavies approached me on the left side and attempted to ram me, but I braked out of the way. The enemy car swerved far to the right into the path of a chrome sphere, crushing the hood.

"This is Blå 4, my vehicle's totaled, good luck out there!" the Drone reported to his teammates.

"That Raven has the precision of a Drone," Einar commented. "The Valkyrie must have taught her well."

Einar moved towards me and attempted the same maneuver, and just like before, I handbraked. Einar, however, steered away from the chrome sphere that could have had him meet the same fate as his comrade. Another Blå member careened towards into me, sparks spraying from both sides as I collided into a wall. "Heather to Erich, time to put the Raven down."

"Payback for your crimes," Erich said to me as he charged another energy ball before Taro sped to his side and rammed him hard into the chrome wall away from me with enough force to rival Maila's attacks.

"The Raven's Einherjar is back," Heather said, accidentally letting go of me as I braked away from her.

As Taro pinned Erich down, a chrome sphere struck his vehicle's cockpit. Even for a Drone, there was no way he would survive that attack.

I eased up. "I guess it's you that's saving my ass this time."

Taro could have replied with, _it's an ass worth saving,_ but he always kept comments like that to himself.

"Electronics are returning. Weapon systems are in the green," Jet reported.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Wheeler to all units, comm chatter is back online."

The trunk on Rivited opened, revealing a missile bay pointed towards the other Drones.

"Damn, they have the initiative," Einar grunted.

Taro fired a barrage of four missiles; two for Heather and two for Einar. "Einar, get your flares out!" Green flares spewed out of the trunk of both cars, diverting the missiles away from them.

But they found themselves too distracted as I rammed my car into Heather before a chrome sphere hit the front end of her car.

"Damn Raven," Heather seethed.

"You two are just like Anna and Alina," Einar commented.

Taro fired four missiles at Einar, who released another set of flares. I attempted to ram him again, only for him to duck behind me. I drifted back, narrowly avoiding a chrome sphere.

"This one's particularly skilled," I said.

"I was meant to take down Wheeler and your sister," Einar said. "I never thought you two would be this good."

Taro sped up to Einar's side and rammed into him. "Karma, box him in!"

I saw a sphere in the middle of the road and braked towards the two, squeezing Einar between myself and Taro. A giant chrome sphere passed by Spine Buster, large enough to crush all of us.

As it loomed mere feet before us, Taro shouted, "NOW!" and activated his Nitrox 3 boosters, and I followed up doing the same.

The rear engine on Einar's car was crushed, rendering it immobile.

"That's all of them," I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Now that's what I call teamwork!" Jet shouted as I briefly glimpsed seeing him nudging Taro's shoulder. I even caught Taro smiling; a rarity, even when around me.

"Did… did you just take out an elite squad by yourselves?" Wylde questioned.

"Guess we didn't need Maila or Vert after all?" I said to Taro.

"This is Einar Johansen to the Raven and her Einherjar, you've been a worthy opponent." There was a sense of humility and positivity in his voice, unlike Dimitri. It was as if he wanted to confront us for a simple fight more than wanting us captured.

I smiled. "You hear that, Taro? They have a name for _you_ , now."

"Spare me the Norse mythos," Taro replied.

"Alright, let's just get to the end," I said.

"We're not going to finish that squad off?" Wylde questioned.

"No. If we try to finish them off, chances are the Drones might win. Besides, I'm not in the mood for killing unarmed Drones." Regardless if we were going to face them again, Einar respected me.

"Karma, this is Esmerelda. We're coming back towards you."

"Krakatoa, are you alright?" Taro asked.

"Ah, I've had worse," Krakatoa replied. "Lucky to have Es save my ass."

"Just returning the favor," Esmerelda said. Taro told me about a time when Krakatoa stopped by to replace a tire for Esmerelda during the Ice Leg of the World Race. I guess she was referring to that but given that they had been Silencerz for a little less than two years at that point, they could be referring to any operation.

"Nolo, Tork, what's your status," I radioed.

"This is Tork. Lost a few cars, but we're all still in this. Heard you had an encounter with some elite Drones."

"That was the last thing we wanted," Kurt said. "We made it, but there are only four cars left."

"Maila, Vert, how are—" I tried to say before we heard an energy bomb go off.

"This is Dresden, my vehicle got disabled. Using the EDR."

"Agh! I lost a wheel! Sorry, Vert. I'm pulling out!" Alec radioed.

"Damn, Banjee's been hit too!" Maila reported before we heard tires screeching as if she was drifting hard. "Ah, hell!"

"Maila!" Vert shouted before I could.

"I'm still in this, Vert. Just get to the finish!"

"Vert's in trouble," Taro said as we sped faster.

"Vert, it's been a long time." That was Kadeem's voice on the radio!

"We have to move, fast!" I shouted to my group as I kept the gas pedal on the floor.

"I thought Kadeem was dead!" Kurt said.

"Guess not," Taro replied in a hurried tone.

"VERT!" Maila shouted.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

I rammed into Reverb's right side, redirecting it into the wall. The chrome sphere bounced on the force field the Metro Realm Accelecharger created around my car away from Vert. As the Drone tried to pass us only a quarter mile away from the portal, I made a heavy turn and rammed him hard, crushing his car to the point where the right side of Octainium was kissing the chrome wall.

The Hybrid rolled onto the track behind me, his robotic legs torn off over the knees and both his hands reduced to rough stumps. I smiled and said, "Yeah, fuck you."

A part of me wanted to run him over for forcing our team out of the race and especially for what he was about to do with Vert, but I knew shutting down the Realm's dangers was more important. Everyone else could take care of him, anyway.

I sped towards the portal, returning to the Silencerz' base. The Chrome Realm Accelecharger materialized beside my dashboard. "Captain Eiss to all units, I've won this race. Vert, put the Drone down and get yourself out of there."

"No," Vert said sternly. "All units, stop by my location. There's something you need to see."

"Whatever you're going to do, you have fifteen minutes before the Realm closes," Colonel Wheeler radioed.

"It's all I need."

* * *

**A/N: Finally, we've caught up to the prologue! Everything else will be on a straight timeline (except for potential flashbacks). I might consider adding a series of one-shots for any scenes I could have included beforehand.  
**


	13. A Reason to Fight

 

_13: A Reason to Fight_  
_Chrome Realm_  
 _Vert Wheeler_

As I walked out of my car, I lightly covered my mouth at the sight of seeing Kadeem as a Hybrid Drone. The former Dune Ratz leader lay on his abdomen, groaning as he tried to scrabble across the track towards me with just the stumps of his broken arms. It was almost like seeing an infant lying helpless.

His transformation was considerably worse than Maila's; whereas I never suspected Maila to be a Hybrid Drone when I first met her, even the human parts of Kadeem's torso and head were an absolute nightmare to see. His eyes and mouth glowed green like a jack-o'-lantern, there were broken wires that once connected around his dreads, and his back had the roof of his destroyed car attached to him. His arms and the scattered remains of the lower half of his body were grossly reminiscent of a Heavy Drone.

Karma, Esmerelda, Taro, and Markie's cars stopped by mine; Krakatoa, Jet and Kurt were also sitting in the latter three's cars. As they all got out, everyone looked towards Kadeem in lament.

"Porkchop, Tork, keep watch on the track," Toni commanded breathlessly as her team stopped and got out of their cars. "Oh, my god," she reacted in a disheartened tone as she and Mojave ran next to me. Mojave looked equally depressed.

Much like the Scorchers, Kadeem shared a special bond with his former World Race team. They knew about his wish to win the prize money for his people in the Sahara Desert, which gave them more motivation to win. Had the Dune Ratz won, some of the drivers were willing to donate portions of their earnings to Kadeem. Mojave especially shared a special bond, as he was willing to use his own earnings to rebuild his reservation after the arson.

After I gave Kadeem my earnings from winning the World Race, he considered me a part of the family, and when we were heading to the Acceledrome to prepare for the Racing Realms, he was more than willing to have the Teku and Metal Maniacs work together. Had he made it through the Storm Realm…, had I saved him, had Tezla even equipped an EDR in his car or the Silencerz rescued him as they did with Banjee, Dresden, and Alec, both teams would have settled their differences quicker.

But now…

Kadeem looked at all of us with an enraged stare, breathing heavily and gutturally as he continued trying to drag himself towards me. "Murderer of Gelorum…" he growled. "How dare you ally yourself with the Valkyrie."

I crouched down and said, "I want to ask the same thing, Kadeem."

"Vert, when you failed to 'rescue' me, I found salvation," Kadeem said. Even Maila did not have that mechanical timbre in her voice. "What Annette wants is what my people need." His voice raised with each sentence. "What the world needs! WHAT _YOU_ NEED!"

"Kadeem, why would you think this?" Toni asked. "What you've been doing is not _you_. You used to be a good person, a good leader; you would not be racing with the Drones."

"I am doing what's right for your world!" Kadeem screamed. "Let us assimilate you and there will be no human conflict! This Drones will lead us towards utopia!"

"Yeah, like a limbless man would take us prisoner," Jet said.

My hands clenched into fists. "The power Annette wants from the Accelerons could destroy everything," I said with more conviction. "You're not helping _anyone_. You're going to kill _your own people._ "

"LIAR!"

"Have I ever lied to you?" I asked. "Would the Accelerons lie?"

" _They_ are the ones that are deceiving _you_!" Kadeem shouted.

"Would your people want this?"

"Please, Vert," Kadeem said, this time in a desperate tone as if he was going to tear up. "Humanity _needs_ to evolve instead of suffering in its own egotistical bubble. You'll be an accomplice to all the suffering on Earth if you keep fighting on Maila's side."

Karma shook her head and walked closer. "Kadeem, we remain human by choice. That's why Maila betrayed the Drones."

"You could have much more freedom than you already have," Kadeem tried to argue. "Your sister's loyalty to you has blinded her. All I want is for all of you to be happy and stop this needless war."

"Kadeem, all you need…"

* * *

_Brian Kadeem_

… _is to come back home._

I saw Vert's skin color suddenly darken. His long hair whitened out before scattering like ashes, leaving a familiar buzz-cut I knew for as long I could unfortunately remember. His Acceleron suit morphed into the long orange and red robes and a walking stick materialized in his right hand. "Haziz, not now…"

_Kadeem, we're taking you home,_ he said.

"No!"

A blue hijab materialized out of thin air and wrapped around Toni's head, which twisted into the shape of my sister, Nafisa Kadeem while dark red robes replaced her purple and orange racing suit. Karma also sported similar clothing; her skin darkening to a light sand-brown and her face taking the shape of my wife, Rana Kadeem. Everyone else took the form of all the citizens of my home town.

The chrome walls started cracking with sand leaking out. The reflections on the mirrors quadrupled like a kaleidoscope.

_Brian, come back home with us,_ Nafisa said, her voice echoing throughout the Realm in a circular direction.

_I still love you, Brian. We still love you. We don't want you to hurt anyone else,_ Rana said. _For our sake. For the sake of the friends you've made since the World Race._

_To err is human and to forgive is divine. You can still repent,_ one of the priests said.

_This is not the way. Please, Brian…_ Rana said as she and Haziz walked closer.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"Leave me alone!" Kadeem cried, swinging his arms away from me and Karma. "This is not you! You need me! Please! Have you forgotten why I drive?"

"He's lost it," Toni said as one of her hands inched closer to the pistol in her thigh holster. "I've seen this in soldiers before. He's beyond help."

"No. We can't just leave him like this," I said. "I'm taking him back."

"Heads up, we have a single Heavy coming in!" Tork reported, just as I was about to grab Kadeem's arm again.

"There's something strange about this Drone's driving," Taro noted.

A Jeep-esque truck cruised towards us at a rather slow speed. They could have launched a barrage of energy bombs, timed grenades, or even sped up and ran over a few of us, but instead, they stopped by the third team.

Transforming out of the car was Harrison Lau. The three former Scorchers stood defensively; Taro and Karma had their silver chainsaw katanas, reverse-engineered from the blades they took, primed.

"You traitor!" Jet shouted as he pointed his pistol at the former Scorcher.

"Jet, Taro, Krakatoa, everyone, I mean no harm," Harrison assured.

"If you meant no harm, you would have confronted us about your collusion with CLYP two years ago!" Krakatoa retorted.

"After our time in the World Race and the bond we shared, why did you have to choose the Drones?" Jet asked.

"I've made many mistakes in the past," Harrison said remorsefully as he walked towards Kadeem, "and I know this will not be enough to atone for what I've done."

Kadeem turned his head towards Harrison. The former gritted his teeth. "No. You can't be allying with those humans! You were Gelorum's servant from the beginning! You took the Wheel of Power! You can't betray us like—"

Harrison punched Kadeem in the face, knocking him unconscious. "It's for your own good, Kadeem."

"We thought you were on the Drones' side," I said to Harrison.

"After seeing monsters like Dimitri, I cannot bear to see you put up with people like him," Harrison replied as he carried Kadeem's body. "To think Annette wants a _utopia_ with such _tyrants_ in charge…"

"Will you be coming with us?" Taro asked.

Dimitri looked at the downed Drones behind him. "Kadeem has been wrestling with his loyalties the moment he became a Drone," he said as he carried the unconscious Hybrid. "I don't find it safe for you to keep him captive, for Gelorum and Annette's propaganda has warped him. I'm taking him back to Highway 35 to help him deal with his own ideals."

"What about you?" Jet asked.

Harrison took another moment of silence before he answered, "I have no affiliation with either the Drones or you." He slowly carried Kadeem off to his vehicle. "Just know that I'm not the only one discontent with Annette's reign."

"Maila's told us what Gelorum did to dissenting Drones," Krakatoa said. "And Annette is no better. You'd be safer with us rather than the Drones."

Harrison looked down, then looked at his mechanical hands. "I've ruined my own life the moment I became a Drone. I wish we could have talked the day I was outed as a CLYP spy, but Gelorum had other plans for me. I know I can't get back to my old life, and I'm sure Maila thinks the same way." He turned to me.

"Our base is hidden, and we change locations whenever an incident comes," I said. "The last place you'd want to be is back at their headquarters."

"Vert, after Rød's confrontation with you and Maila, some of the Drones have been questioning Annette behind closed doors and will continue to after what has happened today. It's better if Kadeem sees this rather than come with you."

Taro, Jet, and Krakatoa looked at each other as Harrison transformed back into his car and drove off to the portal. "This is… this is a lot to take in," Jet said.

"You said it," Krakatoa replied.

"Team," Dad radioed. "I hate to break a thoughtful discussion, but the portal's going to close in three minutes."

"No point in standing here," Karma said as she rushed back to her car.

"We'll see you again, Taro," Jet said as he walked to Toni's Technetium. Taro smiled stoically in response.

I took a couple of seconds to look at the portal and wondered, _what the hell is going on in the Drones' circle?_

"Vert, you coming?" Taro asked as everyone drove past me.

"Heh, last place again," I chuckled to myself.

* * *

_Michael Rush_

"No signs of Kadeem," I reported to Daniels as we drove through the wreckage of his RD-04.

"No time to look to him," Daniels said. "Portal's closing in one minute. Everyone else that's still alive is accounted for."

Suddenly, the monitor in our Retrievers activated with Annette broadcasting herself. "Has Blå Squadron been rescued?" she asked.

"Yes, milady," Daniels reported. "All surviving Blå units have made it. I'm afraid to say that Erich Zimmerman was killed in action."

"Bring Einar Johansen to me," Annette demanded. "We have much to discuss over his squadron's failure."

* * *

_Silencerz HQ  
Kurt Wylde_

"Zoning out?" Markie questioned me as he parked Spine Buster in the garage.

"I've just been thinking about what just happened," I replied. All I could think of was how gray this conflict had become.

As much as I wanted to deny it, I felt sympathetic towards the Hybrids we fought today, and with what Harrison said, I felt even more so. I couldn't help but feel that even one of the ones we fought and killed could have been potential allies like him or at least discontent with Annette's ideology.

"You're making that introspective look," Markie noticed, "that face," copying me by staring blankly towards the car's furnace with a vexed look.

"I just want to know where everything will go from here on," I replied as I stood up and looked across the wide room through the open roof. "But I just can't help but feel that with one wrong move, we could be making things _worse_."

Maila walked into the room, and from the moment her sister emerged from Chicane, the elder Eiss smiled. "Sis…" Maila ran up and wrapped her arms around Karma. "I can't believe you and Taro just took out a squad of Elite Drones by yourselves," she said with absolute glee.

"Well, I can't always rely on you to do _everything_ ," Karma chuckled.

"Now that's the Karma I know and love," Maila said. "So proud of you, kid."

I walked up to the two sisters. "Maila, I want to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

"I know you went rogue against the Drones. Now that we've seen Harrison go rogue, do you think there's a chance that other Drones are too?"

"Kurt, if there are any rogue Drones, they would easily be hunted down," Maila explained. "The only window I had was when the Silencerz launched their assault op on CLYP. You've seen how huge their headquarters is compared to their CLYP base; it's even less likely any Hybrid would rebel, especially with someone as extreme as Annette or Dimitri."

"I still feel like we should have brought Harrison and Kadeem here," Vert said, "if what you say is true."

"We could even get a rescue op going just like the one three months ago," I added.

"We don't know for sure if there were any rebelling forces. All we can do now is see where everything's going," Maila said. "I know that Hybrid you encountered was a friend of yours, but from what I heard, he made me think of Dimitri."

"Kadeem's _nothing_ like Dimitri," Vert argued sternly.

"People change, Vert," Maila countered. "What you tried to do could've been a fatal mistake. You shouldn't be putting yourself at risk for just one man, a psychologically unstable one at that."

"He was a leader for his people," I nearly shouted.

"Who shouldn't expose himself as a Drone to the public," Maila immediately retorted. "He might have been a great leader in his past life, but the person you saw today would never be one."

"Maila, didn't you betray the Drones _just_ because of me?" Karma asked. "If I came with you at the time and accepted the Drones' ideology, would you have betrayed them regardless?"

Maila looked down at her gloved hands and took a deep breath. "You made a choice," she said softly, "and the last thing I want to see is people being stripped of their freewill. If you betrayed us and became a Drone of your own accord, I…" Maila looked away and took another breath. "I wouldn't agree with you." She clenched her fingers into a pair of fists. "Kadeem was all but _willing_ to follow this path."

"Or he may be lying to himself," I theorized.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Maila has a point," Taro agreed to which his lover nodded. "Kadeem might be far too gone right now."

Vert looked down, face crestfallen. "I could have saved him in the Storm Realm, but I failed. I hoped I could save what was left back in the Chrome Realm, but you may be right."

Maila put her left hand on Vert's shoulder. "You've done what you can, kid," she said. "You're going to have to leave Kadeem's fate out of your hands if you ever encounter him again." She eyed on her gloved hand. "What's done to Kadeem is done."

I walked away and put my fingers on the temples of my head. _If only you knew what kind of man Kadeem really was._ I then began pondering if there were others like him…

* * *

_Racing Drones' HQ  
Einar Johansen_

The racetracks were considerably uncongested compared to before the incident involving Vert and Maila. The evening sky was overcast and there was no wind blowing. My heart felt uneasy as my remaining squadmates, Heather, Tom, and I drove our replacement vehicles towards the Holy Spire.

The Chrome Realm, what was hoped to be the start of our path to the future Gelorum envisioned ended up a fiasco. On the first set of Realms, the Drones had won four Accelechargers in a row and kept Dr. Tezla's and the Silencerz' forces on their toes. But with the Silencerz winning the first Accelecharger, our defeat, and the disappearance of Brian Kadeem, it was an abysmal start. There were discouraged looks from the other Hybrid Drones that were rescued by the Hybrid Rescue Unit; Kendra Straussberg, the captain that led the Drone forces in this Realm, looked especially despondent. All she did on the way back from the Realm was look over the window, potentially at the chrome reflections.

Once a very loyal servant to Gelorum and Annette, she was another firm believer that Hybrids were superior to humans. When learning of Rød Squadron's defeat, she deemed the fact that a rogue Hybrid Drone like the Valkyrie could take them down with two confirmed deaths an absolute fluke. After all, how could humans, led by just one rogue Hybrid Drone, wipe out almost every single Drone sent in the Realm? How could we not master the skill for this Realm like we would have in the first Realms?

I wondered if Annette was feeling this weariness…

* * *

_The Holy Spire_

Behind the closed gates of Annette's throne room, the Chancellor was conversing with another Hybrid. "Note well that this new training class is an experimental one," Annette said. "Not even Dimitri has begun it. But with the skills you and Alina possess, I trust that you will become the face of our Drone fleet once you complete it. Gelorum would have been proud of what you two are becoming."

"Thank you, Annette!" the other Hybrid replied enthusiastically in a recognizable Swedish accent. "Hail Gelorum."

Anna North walked out of the revolving doors. Although Anna was the leader of Amour, another Elite Battle Squadron that consisted of her and Alina LeBlanc, she and her lover were still Tier 2 stage Hybrids; Only the limbs and green irises were the most visible changes; she could walk around Earth without anyone suspecting a single trait of her being a Drone. "Oh, Einar. Annette has summoned you?"

"Yes, she seems… disappointed about our performance, to say the least," I replied.

"Alina and I were accepted into the Ragnarok program," she said. "You should request that your team join. It would be your best bet to taking on the Murderer, the Valkyrie, the Raven and that driver that assisted her."

"How's Alina doing?" I asked.

"Well, the news of your defeat was pretty discouraging at worst," Anna said with a downtrodden face. "Most of us Hybrids have been feeling down."

"I've felt it while driving here," I commented. "To think it was the same girl, the one that destroyed the museum, that played a part in defeated us… I bet Alina would do anything to kill her."

"Those two seemed to act like lovers on the battlefield," Anna noted.

I chuckled. "I literally thought the same thing when we fought them."

"Love can be the strongest weapon," Anna said as she looked up in the cloud-consumed, dusky sky in the window. "As long as people have a reason to fight. And I have a sense that they're not much different from us."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I admire the two. Annette obviously doesn't; ditto for Alina."

Anna smiled. "Well, I better let you have your little talk with Annette."

* * *

"You were defeated not by the Murderer or his Valkyrie, but by two mere humans?" Annette questioned, nearly getting off her throne.

"Karma Eiss and Taro Kitano drove like Drones in human form," I told her. "We did a bio-scan on both of them, and they appear not to have any cybernetic augmentations."

"How can the 2nd Elite Battle Squadron be defeated by just two humans? Only a Hybrid can defeat a Hybrid!"

"Perhaps we've treated our Hybrids too softly?" Dimitri considered as he walked into the room. "You've seen the cowardice of some of our men! They shouldn't be scared of just one rogue bitch of a Hybrid!" He then turned to me. "And _you_ shouldn't have treated your fight against those two like a game!"

"I had the best strategy!" I defended. "But the two saw right through me!"

"You lost because you were soft on them!" Dimitri retorted. "Just because you weren't fighting Vert and Maila doesn't mean you should ease up. Their destructive influence has given them strength. _Every_ driver that opposes us _must_ be assimilated to atone for their sinful ways."

"Dimitri is correct," Annette said as she walked towards me, staring at my blue eyes only three feet away from me. "Remember, Einar, that you are now of a superior race that should not be bested by an inferior species unwilling to evolve. If you and your team fail to meet our standards, you will be demoted to the standard cannon fodder squads. Surely, someone with such pride would not want that?"

I felt discomfort in my heart as she and Dimitri stared at me. Any wrong move could have me end up in the broadcast room awaiting execution. "No. I don't want that," I said monotonously.


	14. Uneasy

_14: Uneasy_  
_Silencerz HQ – Maila's Quarters_  
_Karma Eiss_

 I softly tapped my fist on Maila's door three times.

"Come in," she answered.

I opened the sliding door. "You wanted to see me, sis?"

"Yes, come in. Take a seat."

I closed the door and sat on one of the chairs, placing my take-out box and napkins on the table and putting the plastic fork and knife on top of my napkins.

"Want me to pour you a drink?" Maila asked as she rummaged through her wine collection.

"Sure," I replied as I took off my blue jacket and gloves, hanging the former on the chair.

"You deserve one. I hope you like La Dame de Deuil," Maila said as she grabbed a bottle, placing it on the table before grabbing two wine glasses. "It's a vintage Cabernet imported from France, brewed after World War II by Cristina Farrow, a La Résistance fighter who lost her lover to the Holocaust. 25% ABV." Red wine poured into both glasses. "You've grown so much, kid," she said as she sat down. "From your first baby steps behind the wheel to taking out an elite Drone squadron without my help, Mom and Dad would have commissioned someone to build a statue in your honor."

"Something was quite off when we were in the Chrome Realm," I said.

Maila took a sip of her wine. "What do you mean?"

"When we were fighting the Drones, it felt too easy when they weren't trying to attack us," I explained. "I know the Drones did not test this Realm or any of the other Realms we are currently driving through, but from what I've heard from their comms, some of them were just _terrified_ , whether because of you or even the Realm itself. Nolo even said they were performing _worse_ than the Drones in the first set of Realms."

Maila chuckled. "Figures. Their strategies were shit, especially when they bunched up in a Realm that you can't just bunch up in. Who would bring a _Sweeper_ in a Realm full of _bouncing chrome spheres_?"

"Well, you don't know exactly what to expect before you enter a Realm."

"My hunch is that the Drones were so focused on revenge that they overlooked what the Realms were about."

"Speaking of revenge, that squadron Taro and I faced didn't seem nearly as vengeful as Rød," I said before taking a small sip. The drink had a completely equal mix of sweetness and bitterness as if Cristina Farrow cherished the sorrow of losing her lover. "In fact, the leader sincerely _congratulated_ us."

"Huh. I would never have thought that anyone who would stick to someone as extreme as Annette would be honorable," Maila replied.

"He even mentioned some lesbian couple, they may also be Drones," I added as I began eating the salmon salad from my take-out box.

"I know what you're trying to tell me, kid," Maila said. "That I shouldn't be so violent on the track, or as Banjee calls it, 'loco'."

"I know Vert and especially Kurt felt… disturbed after what you did to Kadeem," I said.

"In my eyes, your friend died the moment he became a Drone," Maila said as she took a larger chug. "Reasoning with the Hybrids is as lost of a cause as hoping for the winning lottery ticket. If there are any rogue Drones like me on the track, I should be seeing them _shooting their own kind_. Sometimes, you need to take extreme actions to win a war." She examined her mechanical hand once more, then closed her eyes and smiled. "And with humanity seeping through the failed legacy of the Accelerons, it will only be a matter of time before they end up dying from the inside. That's how we win."

I gave a double take and leaned back in my chair.

"Sis? Something wrong?" Maila questioned.

"I saw a bit of Gelorum in you," I replied.

Maila's eyes widened before she looked down at her wine glass with a shameful look reflecting in the remaining red liquid. "Karma… I just don't want them to hurt you as they hurt me. I don't want you to be hurt the way you were seven years ago."

"I know, sis," I replied. "I know you're doing all this for me. Just know you're not the only rogue Hybrid."

"I don't doubt it," Maila said. "But like I said before, I doubt someone like Harrison would even be alive by now."

"And like you said, we'll see where it's all going," I countered.

Maila smiled. "Always the insightful one."

* * *

_Unknown facility, formerly Highway 35's Volcano Leg  
Brian Kadeem_

I woke up, finding the stumps of my arms tightened to the same restraints that my past form was locked in. The cell around me was a forty-to-forty meter cubical room with a thick, glass door towards one of the facility's hallways. And in that hallway was a window that showed a grey sky that contrasted with the silhouette of the blackened mountains and rocks.

"Ah, you're awake." Harrison opened the door. I immediately began shaking my severed limbs frantically. "Don't bother. These restraints are magnetized."

"How could you spare the humans?" I said. "Especially Vert?"

"Even if I wanted to, they outnumbered and outgunned me," Harrison answered.

"But you are a Drone!" I shouted. "You could easily have captured them with what Gelorum gave you!"

"Would you want your people to live in a society like this?" Harrison shouted with equal loudness. "With people like Annette and Dimitri bullying us to follow their ways?"

"Think about what you're doing," I said. "The Drones have given you everything while the humans left you with nothing. We gave you new purpose for your driving skills and you've squandered them! Annette should have deleted your memory bank from the hive mind."

"Well, she tried." A Hybrid with his long blond hair tied in a ponytail walked in.

"Jari Lindroos," I whispered.

"The problem is, you can't delete what is organically planted," Jari said, pointing to his temple. "Annette's deceiving you. She was Gelorum's true killer. Her threats… are just threats."

"Kadeem, Annette's forces are on the _losing_ side," Harrison attempted to convince.

"They had a Drone amongst them!" I argued.

"An elite Drone squad was defeated, not by Vert and Maila, but by two humans," Harrison countered. "It's only a matter of time before Annette's reign comes to an end."

"We've only lost the battle. We haven't lost the war."

"All you need to do is accept the freewill of others," Jari said, "for humanity is still very much alive."

"You will not be accepted by the humans," I tried to argue. "They want you dead. We want a utopia. You've lost your purpose."

"You don't understand what a utopia truly is," Jari said. "Annette doesn't either. You are the one that lost your purpose. But we hope you can regain it, Kadeem."

I tilted my head down.

* * *

" _Swamp Realm"  
Vert Wheeler_

"Come on, Kurt. You need to stay in that groove," I said as we drove through another simulation run. Vines were sprouting all around the area, aimed right for the both of us while giant mosquitos flew behind us at the speed of airplanes. The roars of the giant swamp beast were deafening

Kurt's Battle Spec drafted ten feet from Power Rage; his tires were constantly moving on and off the moss that covered part of the track. A swarm of vines behind him pieced through Battle Spec's hood, suspending it in mid-air. More vines began tearing it apart piece by piece. My heart beat quickly as one vine wrapped around Kurt's neck while another reached for the seatbelt.

I knew this was a simulation, but if it was reality, a part of me would have impulsively made a full U-turn and get back to him. Of course, in the end, all that mattered was reaching the finish line.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Training Room_

Kurt hyperventilated once he took off the VR headset. I knew that the Storm and Swamp Realms were traumatic memories at the time, but he almost looked like he was going to pass out fall out of his car. As Kurt's breathing slowed, I asked, "Do you want to take a break? We've been going through this for three hours now."

"It just feels uneasy with the way Maila is affecting the situation," Kurt explained. "Honestly, I don't think she's doing the right thing; I'm sure Annette would be pissed off that the Drones lost and could be plotting something worse. On top of that, we could be killing potential allies, perhaps even people _we know_ like Kadeem, and Maila doesn't care."

"We know we can't reason with the Hybrids like this, especially in a race," I said. "Trust me, I wish we could get Kadeem back to us, but Maila may be right."

"What if Felix and Fluke were Hybrids?" Kurt questioned.

Felix retired after the World Race; when Finn offered a position under a different guise, Felix declined; joining the Silencerz would probably be the last thing he'd want to do. Although Fluke continued racing across Greenland and other neighboring countries (including a world record of driving on ice for four hours), he settled down and started a family, and we knew the last thing he wanted was to be an absent parent for months, even years on end.

But the thought of seeing them becoming Drones like Kadeem and Harrison almost made me assume the worst. "If they are, I hope they're among the ones discontent with Annette," I said.

"I just don't know what's going to happen," Kurt interrupted. "I just hope Harrison is not the only Drone rebelling against Annette."

I nodded in response. "Like Maila said, all we can do now is see what happens."

"You don't really seem to have a grudge against her," Kurt noted.

I stroked my goatee. "She's… done quite a bit for me ever since I wandered into this base. Guess I'm feeling more thankful for her being my wingmate."

"We shouldn't be relying on Maila to do everything," Kurt said. "You're a skilled driver, Vert, don't let her be a crutch."

* * *

_Fifteen hours later  
Racing Drones' HQ  
Kendra Straussberg_

The three rings of the Wheel of Power rotated once more. I looked from the Hammer's cockpit as a smaller force stopped in front of the ramp, ready to begin the next race.

Following the Chrome Realm fiasco, Annette decided to use a smaller force due to us bunching up and leaving us prone to the next Realm's obstacles and, of course, the four distinguished drivers that created so much grief for the Drones. RD-L1 took over my position and I was reassigned as the captain for the Hammer, a new vehicle that began construction after the battle three months ago and finished mere moments before this next Realm was about to open.

The smallest ring stopped, and the Canyon Realm symbol illuminated.

I was elated to accept this position, knowing the Hammer's power. Still, a part of me knew the four drivers would find a way to defeat us.


	15. Cars Don't Fly

_15: Cars Don't Fly_  
_Canyon Realm_  
_Vert Wheeler_

The moment Power Rage and Octainium landed onto the purple track, I looked at the setting surrounding us. I expected this Realm to be as barren as the Grand Canyon. Instead, the canyon walls were covered from top to bottom in green and red shrubs. The canyon was as wide as a city block and was almost four miles deep. A myriad of waterfalls fell from the cliffside into the river below. A light amount of snow covered the top of the cliffsides and mountain ranges, and there was even light snowfall at the highest elevations.

"Lovely," Maila said in an almost melancholic tone. "It's a pity this place is going to turn into a war zone soon." Her voice was less lustful than usual. I knew what she was going to do once we catch up to the Drones, but a part of me wondered if she was going to act more hesitantly. "Makes you wonder if the Accelerons formed our planet in their image."

"Huh. I thought you hated the Accelerons?" I questioned.

"Just for the Drones," Maila replied. "But I'll give them one thing: They definitely bring back a lot of memories. Karma and I used to drive around the mountain ranges in Oregon. It was our personal escape."

"Such a romantic," Karma teased through the radio.

The track itself had steep descending and ascending points with a myriad of daring jumps; I assumed this would be the skill for this Realm. Some parts of the track even went through a tunnel in the cliff, and one part even led into a pipeline below the river, much like the Water Realm.

I could hear Porkchop breathing slowly, but loudly.

* * *

_Deezel "Porkchop" Riggs_

Memories of my father, John Riggs, were flooding in my mind. I remembered being on the sailboat with Mom and Dad that day. The sail flung Dad off the boat. He didn't even have a life jacket. I remembered jumping in to help him, but I was a terrible swimmer. Dad saved me, but he gave in to the cold waters.

Before the Water Realm, I never told any of the Maniacs that I was afraid of water. We were supposed to be tough and fearless, especially against the Drones and other street racing teams including the Teku at the time. But we all had a weakness.

"Porkchop, I know what you're thinking," Tork said in a soft-spoken manner, "but you should keep your focus on the Drones and the Realm itself as best as you can."

"I'm fine," Porkchop replied quietly. "Don't worry about me…"

Before joining the Silencerz, I only took a bath once since then, but the memories of Dad drowning stuck to me. Even _drinking_ water made me anxious. The Silencerz often knocked me out against my will and gave me mandatory baths every week. Needless to say, I bit the bullet and took my own showers shortly afterward.

"Captain Eiss to all units. Looks like the Realm's claimed its first victims," Maila said.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"Who brings Sweepers and mechs to a track like this?" Banjee questioned as we saw the burnt remains of Drone scrap across the river.

"As Karma once said, you don't know what to expect for these Realms until you enter it," Maila replied.

"Vert, Maila, we have Drone signatures a mile away from your location," Dad radioed from base. "There's only a dozen Lights with three Heavies."

"Huh. Thought there would be more like last time," Alec said.

"Probably a change in tactics," Maila said. "Keep your guard up."

"Dammit. Wheeler and Eiss are right behind us," a Hybrid said.

"All vehicles in the front, keep your speed up and avoid any confrontation. We can't have it end up like the last Realm," another Drone radioed to his other troops.

"Captain Eiss engaging."

I chuckled. _Of course, you would._

"Looks like Maila's gonna steal the show again," Jet radioed.

Octainium passed me and launched a large EMP bomb, scattering into five smaller ones and hitting five trailing Drones from behind.

"Damn Valkyrie. Haven't you caused enough pain?"

"The legacy of Gelorum needs to live on. We can't allow this to continue," another Drone said as two of the Heavies and the rest of the Lights turned back and drove towards us.

Though Maila was far in front of me, I had a hunch she was smiling.

The golden glow of the Metro Realm Accelecharger covered Octainium. She easily intercepted two of the Drones, bouncing them upon impact and sending them flying off the track. Broken pieces of chassis and hot oil scattered down onto my windshield.

"Damn, leave some for us," Dresden said to Maila.

One Drone dodged Maila and went careening into me, and I immediately punched the EMP blaster, catapulting the Drone car into the air off the track.

"Shit! Shit! Return to RD-L1's position! Re—"

Maila blasted one of the retreating Drones off the track, and his car exploded into the green walls. Fire began spreading in the areas where the Drones fell.

"Only a coward like you would kill a retreating soldier!"

"And only you would be as cowardly as to not shoot your leader," Maila whispered. Even though the Drone was easily in firing range, she hesitated to shoot for about ten seconds before she said, "bad answer," and fired.

"Oh, I'd hate to see her on the wrong side," Monkey radioed nervously.

"Hmph. We'd all be killed," Kurt replied cynically.

"There's only one left," Maila said to me. "Vert, do you want to pretty up your kill score?"

The Heavy in front of us threw himself off the track. "What?" I said.

* * *

_RD-L1_

I pulled the lever on the right side of my RD-08. Much like the Slam Ram Hyperpod before, the mechanism in my car built the Strato-Thruster Hyperpod around my vehicle. Much like the mechs, the RD-10 project, and the Hammer, this was a new design created under Annette's direction. Equipped with two energy bomb dispensers and missiles, this Hyperpod suited a wide-open area like the Canyon Realm and was vastly superior in terms of firepower.

"Revenge for Gelorum…"

_Vert Wheeler_

"Really?" Banjee said.

"Oh, the Drones do a fantastic job at cheating," I said as we saw the Heavy ascend upwards in a flying Hyperpod.

The Drone flew at us, launching a large barrage of energy bombs across the track.

"Look out!" I shouted as Maila and I drifted away from the firing path. Dresden was not so lucky, as the blast radius of one of the bombs blew off Covelight's front right tire.

"Dammit! I can't stay with you! Bailing out!" Covelight dematerialized from the Realm back to the Silencerz base.

"Lieutenant Berry to Captain Eiss. We have enemy reinforcements trailing behind us."

"Karma, Taro, I trust that you and your teams can hold them off on your own," Maila said. "Split off - pattern Victor-Whiskey on the next fork. We'll take on this Heavy. This one knows what he's doing."

"Copy that," Taro said. "We're on them."

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

The Teku, Metal Maniacs, and Team Grim split off in the four-way fork. Vert's team already look the left; Nolo, Tork, Esmerelda, and Krakatoa took the mid-left path; Toni, Mojave, Jet, Wylde, and Kurt went on the mid-right path, while Porkchop, Monkey, Shirako, Taro, and I took the far right.

"Hmm. New designs," I noted as I looked at the Drones behind me. The Light vehicles had the cockpit on the right side while the left side had what looked like a launcher. One of the vehicles sported a different color scheme; the body was a metallic purple with sky blue windows. I presumed this specific one was an elite Drone. "Stay focused and keep yourselves spread out. Expect anything unexpected."

"The Valkyrie killed my sister three months ago," one of the Drones, possibly the elite in the purple Light, said. "Raven, your death will not only break your sister but restore the Racing Drone pride."

I groaned, but not because he was attempting to guilt-trip me, but the typical 'pride' speech I had heard about a dozen times at that point. In fact, I was more willing to believe he was lying by the tone of his voice; there were no signs of grief or anger, but when he said his second sentence, his voice was more prideful. "This is war," I said. "It's kill or be killed."

The Lights fired at us with the speed of an automatic rifle. Porkchop released flares from the rear windows, forcing the barrages to cancel out.

"They won't last forever running on flares," another Drone said.

"Ramp ahead. Monkey, Porkchop, prime your SSMs (Surface-to-Surface Missiles)," Taro ordered.

 _They won't be able to evade if they're airborne._ But I did expect them to pop flares or chaffs, however.

And as the two maniacs launched their first barrage, it was definitely the case.

"Flares on flares," the elite Drone said as his team sped up to us. "Your sister slaughters us like animals, and we shall do the same."

"Porkchop! Look out!" Monkey warned.

Immediately, one of the Drones rammed into Porkchop's rear-wheel, sending him spinning. Another rammed his front end on Jack Hammer's side and sent him flying off the track on the next turn. Porkchop's vehicle teleported out of the Realm via EDR.

"They're boxing me in," Monkey said fearfully before two Drones started ramming into his rat rod, slowly chipping pieces off, including the four exhaust pipes as they scattered off onto the track. "My EDR's not working; my systems are all messed up!"

"Sit tight, Monkey, I'm coming for you," Taro said as he drifted a 180 and drove towards Monkey and the Drones, armed with his lava plow in front.

"Oh, why did I choose this car?" Monkey questioned himself.

I also made a U-turn to provide support and shot one of the Drones next to Monkey with an EMP blast while Taro rammed into the one on the other side of the gliding Rat-ified, which was missing all four of its wheels.

"I don't want to go skydiving!" Monkey shouted as the remains of his car were about to dive deep into the canyon. "Oh, god!"

I handbraked and made another U-turn. "Jump to me!" I shouted as I drove to his side.

Monkey stood up and hopped onto Chicane's roof just before the remains of Rat-ified fell off.

The purple Drone rammed the left side of my car, and I began drifting astray. Monkey slid onto the hood, screaming as he held onto both sides of the car. "Monkey, get in!" I shouted as I corrected my car back.

"I can't! Oh, my god!" Monkey panicked to the point of coughing as he scrabbled to my right side towards the open door window.

The Drone rammed me again, forcing Monkey to slide down. I knew, at that point, every movement from my car meant an inch closer to him falling off or having the front wheels amputate his fingers.

I saw a straight-away ahead from the parts of the windshield that weren't obstructed.

"Monkey, hold onto something as hard as you can," I said as I activated my Nitrox 3.

"WHOA!" Monkey's jaw shook, and the air resistance was intense enough to shake off his goggles and helmet. He looked back as I was about to hit a ramp. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no... NOOOO-hu-hu-hu-noooo!"

I knew he was the most fearful out of all the drivers we had, but as I saw his face upon launching from the ramp, tears were falling from his eyes.

I also knew I overshot the ramp at 400 mph. Monkey's hands were about to slip and I was going to land on the other side hard, so I turned on my jump jets before landing softly.

"We're clear," I said, breathing softly. "Monkey, get in."

Monkey crawled through the open window, landing his head on the ground with his feet accidentally kicking the seat.

As he sat in and buckled up, I saw him breathing heavily with that panicked look. "When we get out of this Realm, I'm _so_ switching to maintenance duty," he said.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"Heads up. That Drone's making another run!" Alec shouted.

I drifted to the left while Maila steered right, taking the left fork in the road. Maila, caught up in avoiding the blasts, was forced to take a right turn away from me.

"Shit!" Maila shouted. "I'm going to try to find another opening. Alec, Banjee, cover him!"

 _We shouldn't be relying on Maila to do everything_ , I remembered Kurt say. _Don't let her be a crutch._

"I should have ripped your throat out back in the Swamp Realm," the Drone said.

Images from the Storm and Swamp Realms burned in my brain. I felt like I was back in my old Deora II; not the one I rebuilt back at the base, but the one that ended up sliced in half at the end of the former Realm. This Heavy Drone was the first one I encountered. I thought it would just be like when we fought those CLYP robots on Highway 35, but this Drone was tougher, more skilled, and fearless.

In the latter case, my failure in the Storm Realm _ensured_ victory for the Drones. Hoping that the lightning would slow them down, ironically, I was the one caught in the distraction. Kurt nearly got killed because of me, and I already felt guilty for failing to save Kadeem.

I remembered being caught by the vines in the Swamp Realm. Power Rage's windows shattered, the severed wire of my grappling hook was hanging down, the speakers were destroyed, and the steering wheel was dislodged. Assuming that was the same Drone that won the Storm Realm, at least I got a little bit of payback, even though his grip on my neck gave me nightmares for months on end.

"Yeah, you should have," I replied as I looked at the Swamp Realm Accelecharger in my hand.

Just like how the danger of facing the Drones was greater in scope compared to the CLYP drones, I knew that I should not be taking this Drone as if it were those two Realms again or the entire first run in general. Had the rest of the Teku and Metal Maniacs continued to work with Dr. Tezla, they would have all gotten captured/killed. Though the Drones had no Accelechargers, their newer weapons, vehicles, and elite Drone squadrons made up for it.

And from what the other drivers said about the Drones in the Chrome Realm, they traded their perfected skills for them. As Banjee, Alec, and I jumped a ramp, hoping to the Accelerons that the Heavy would not shoot us down, the sight of the same Drone that mocked me in the Storm Realm piloting an aircraft looked dishonorable in comparison.

They should not have even be called _Racing_ Drones anymore.

Revenge blinds all in the end.

I blinded them.

And Maila was the disease.

The Heavy continued his barrage, firing at the cliffside. Debris fell around us, blocking the road in front of Alec and Banjee.

"Dammit!" Alec shouted.

"We're cut off!" Banjee said to me. "You're on your own. Sorry, Vert!"

"Murderer of Gelorum, you're mine for the taking."

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

Team Grim flew back via jump jets away from the Drones' line of fire and landed behind them before laying their own firepower against them. Three Lights flew in the sky, one of them crashing into a fourth, who spun out of control, falling off the track along with the others.

One Light drove by my right side and rammed into me. I spun the steering wheel around as my rear wheels grazed the edge of the track. I saw a sharp left turn next to me, and I anticipated the Drone to make a wider turn.

"Kurt, ram him off!" Mojave shouted.

But then I looked at the Drone behind the window, and I saw the face of a young, Asian woman, potentially in her early twenties, possibly even late teens. _We're killing people like her,_ I thought.

"Kurt, you have a window! Take him out!" Toni shouted.

But I didn't. I slammed on the brakes, letting her pass as she made the turn. "Zed-36," the woman said in a cold tone, akin to Gelorum, albeit at a higher pitch. "Always unwilling…"

She then braked towards my side and turned slightly right, preparing to attack again. Markie equipped his lava plow, made a short Nitrox 3 boost and rammed into the Drone's bumper hard. I dodged as she spun out of control. Markie boosted Spine Buster once again and caught her by the side, plowing her off the track on the next turn.

I looked away but accidentally glimpsed at my mirror, reflecting a fiery green explosion and a burning shrub.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

I looked at the ramp ahead, then at the flying Heavy, and finally at the Accelecharger. "Gonna fight dirty? Guess I'll have to take a page from Maila…"

I launched myself off the ramp, then activated the Accelecharger. A green aura shrouded my car while a track of green vines sprouted below me. I turned my car left towards the Heavy and unleashed a volley of EMP lasers at it. The craft then burst away from the firing area, its afterburners burning green.

"Persistent, are you?" I said as I trailed the Drone, using a quarter of my Nitrox 3 tanks to catch up to him. Despite my barrages, the Drone craft still outmaneuvered them.

"Accelecharger stress levels at 90%," the onboard computer stated in a feminine voice. "Please remove Accelecharger."

"Dammit." I took out the Accelecharger and landed back on the track. The vine track behind me disintegrated.

"Without the Valkyrie, you are nothing," the Drone taunted.

"We'll see about that," I said as I saw giant vultures the size of houses perched on top of the cliffs.

* * *

_Esmerelda Sanchez_

As our cars flew across the ramp, we saw the vultures flying towards us. Two of them caught two trailing Drones with their feet and hoisted them into the air.

I did not want to know what they were going to do to the drivers inside. Especially if they were Hybrids.

"Man, the Realms really seem to go at it against the Drones," Nolo commented.

"All units. Gig 2 has analyzed the flight patterns of those vultures," Lani radioed. "You need to hit each ramp at a minimum of 160 miles per hour to avoid their attacks."

"Drive fast. Shouldn't be a problem at all," I said.

"Be wary. You'll be hitting several ramps in a row. You also need to find the right speed for the jumps."

I looked in the distance and saw two consecutive jumps with only a distance of one-hundred meters in between. "Just when I thought I could get away from those Forest Leg memories," I said as I looked at my speedometer. The computer in my car analyzed the ramps and showed the ideal speed to hit both ramps: 165.

"Oh, that's dangerously close," Krakatoa commented.

"Keep it tight! It's gonna be close!" Tork shouted to us.

Leap of faith number one, hit at 168 mph. A score of vultures flew across from behind, missing me by a meter.

"Oh, shit!" A light Drone found himself caught in the claws of one of the vultures. The Drone fired an energy bomb at its feet.

Suddenly, the entire flock flew across us erratically.

"Oh, they're pissed," Krakatoa said. "They're really pissed!"

We flew off the second ramp, and the vultures looked as if a simple city traffic intersection turned into a paradise for street racing.

"Agh!" Nolo shouted as a vulture grabbed Synkro.

"Nolo!" Tork reacted.

The Teku leader turned on his jump jets and burned the vulture's feet, forcing it to release the golden car's grip.

The rest of the vultures captured almost the entire Drone pack like survivors rushing to the grocery store to survive an impending apocalypse; only two were trailing us when we hit the ramp.

"It looks like every one of those birds want us dead!" Krakatoa shouted.

"Tell me something I don't know," I replied.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

The elite Drone shot at the vultures upon launching across the ramp. "Rotten birds!" he shouted.

Behind his vehicle, another flock of vultures swarmed towards his wingmates, grabbing them with their feet. Only the purple Drone car remained as it landed behind us.

Speeding his way towards me, he rammed the front left side onto the right side of Chicane's rear end. Monkey squirmed as I started drifting before correcting back again.

"Please, don't die," he whimpered to himself. "Please, don't die…"

"You will know the pride our race shares," the Drone boasted before a missile hit him from behind. The vehicle caught fire from behind while Taro and Shirako trailed.

I smiled and stoically said, "choke on it, bitch," as I rammed the Light Drone off before a vulture flew over and grabbed him.

"Yeah!" Monkey screamed.

"Thanks for the assist, love," I said to Taro as he drove by my left side. "Looks like that's all of them."

He smiled. "I'm going to pass you."

"Try it." I stared at Rivited as Taro sped away. It felt like that street race we had six months ago.

And that feeling soon turned to dread.

"Taro."

"Hmm?"

"This race felt too easy," I said. "I'm surprised the Drones aren't using any jammers. We haven't even encountered a squadron like Blå. Something's a bit off."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

A small flock of five vultures flew over me and began grabbing onto the Drone craft's wings. The Heavy swerved and spun, knocking them off him.

As I made another jump from another ramp at 200 mph, I saw a much larger flock flying towards me on the right and the Drone firing missiles on the left.

"Die!" he screamed.

He missed.

And the missiles sped into the path of the vultures.

I turned away and said, "Oh, this doesn't bode well for you," as I landed safely on the other ramp.

The consequences followed.

The rest of the flock surrounded the craft, eating away at the metal body. More giant vultures from all sides of the cliff joined in on the feast.

With the huge flock blocking his windshield, the Drone flew erratically; one of the wings crashed into the left cliffside, breaking it off. Out of control, the craft plummeted onto the track.

"Well, that's nature in a nutshell," I said.

Suddenly, the Heavy vehicle burst out of the Hyperpod's remains. The windshield was shattered and there was smoke coming from his hood. He fired his own barrage of energy bombs, which were so off-target, I did not even have to dodge some of them.

"Not so tough behind those big guns, aren't you?" I asked.

"You will fall!" the Drone screamed. "Gelorum will be avenged! Annette will see to that! I will see to that!"

"You know, you're pledging your loyalty to Gelorum's _actual_ killer."

"You mind if I take this kill?" Maila's Octainium trailed right behind the Heavy.

I chuckled. "Why not?"

The Heavy screamed and rammed Octainium, but it hardly fazed the vehicle.

"So you're the one that tried to kill my friend in the Swamp Realm," Maila said in a curious voice, as if she was having one of her talks with her sister before she made a light turn to the left, then a sharp right, breaking off both of the Drone's right tires, the rest of the glass on the windows, and leaving a large dent on the left side before the Heavy fell off the track. Her tone shifted into the Scandinavian north. "Weak."

A vulture flew by and grabbed what was left on its feet. As it lifted him on top of the cliffside, other vultures joined in on the feeding frenzy.

"Looks like you made a couple of friends," Maila said.

A smaller flock of vultures flew adjacent to the next ramp.

"Uh, they're enigmas at best," I replied as I pressed on the clutch, upshifted, then floored it.

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

"This is Nolo. I can see the portal from here," I reported. The Canyon symbol was still present and there were no Drones in sight on the rest of the track.

Suddenly, a rain of green energy lit up the track at such a loud volume that made Shirako's speakers feel like earbuds in comparison. One bomb detonated near me, and I fell.

"I'm hit!" I shouted.

"Shit! I'm hit too!" Alec radioed.

"Damn!" Wylde shouted.

"Did you just see that right now?" Banjee said.

I tapped on the EDR button. "No EDRs! We're being jammed!" I shouted as I pulled the lever below my dashboard, releasing a parachute with the Teku logo from Synkro's rear end.

"Shit! Activating counter-jammers!" Mojave said.

"Hurry!" Alec shouted.

"I'm trying!" Mojave replied frantically. "Damn thing's slow with the heavy jamming!"

"Captain Eiss here. I hope you're looking at the sky right now."

The area around me grew darker as if the sun was eclipsed. As I turned my head towards the triangular rear window, I saw the black silhouette of a giant, metallic bat-like figure hovering above.

"Oh, my god," Jet said. It looked as if a B-2 bomber took one billion grams of steroids. The size of the craft was akin to that of a city district. The blade-like wings were wide enough to decapitate ten skyscrapers at once. Cannons littered across the cruiser with a countless amount on its belly.

And they were charging for another barrage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, this is the Hammer. A Big Fuck-Off Aircraft!
> 
> By and large, this chapter was more of a homage to Ignition, hence the use of RD-L1 as the villain of the week instead of some elite mooks. Note that RD-08 is referring to RD-L1’s old vehicle from Ignition, not the one in the Speed of Silence onwards; the naming is admittedly confusing due to other sources.


	16. Unbreakable

_16: Unbreakable_  
_Canyon Realm_  
 _Nolo Pasaro_

"Look at the size of that thing!" Monkey said with equal amounts of amazement and terror.

"Holy shit," Tork said. "Colonel Wheeler, what's going on here?"

"Comms from base are jammed," Maila said. "Mojave, get those counter-jammers online NOW!"

"FIRE!" The cannons launched.

"HURRY!" I screamed at Mojave.

"Mojave here! Counter-jamming successful! All downed units, get out of there!"

I punched the EDR button as an energy bomb was about to hit me by inches and teleported back to base. Synkro landed overturned, and I sighed a breath of relief when I saw Wylde and Alec's cars by the exit.

"That was a close one," I said to myself.

Tork, Krakatoa, and Shirako's cars flew out of the portal. And I knew this was not going to end well.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"Counter-jamming from Mojave's car has given us the chance to use our EDRs, but the Realm's not won yet," I explained. "Once we get a car through, get out of there!"

"You're crazy!" Kurt shouted. "It's suicide to continue!"

"Do you want the Drones to win?" I questioned.

I heard Kurt grumble in response. As I looked through the side-mirror, Kurt's car dematerialized from my sight.

"Coward," I whispered bitterly as I gripped the steering wheel.

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

The bridge crew tapped away on their navigation, targeting, and stabilizer control computers as I watched the humans drive away like mice to the predatory cat.

"All electrical hull batteries have been charged at maximum energetic values," one of the bridge crew Drones reported to me. "Emission velocity primed at terminal levels; targets confirmed."

"Excellent. This is Kendra Straussberg to all the barbaric animals below our mighty Hammer," I radioed. "The Realms you have trespassed on belong to us. You will know your place, know where you all truly belong."

"I see you've been eating out with Annette to get that position up there," the Valkyrie spat back.

One of the Hybrids looked me in the eye, and a redness filled my face.

"FIRE!" I screamed at such a level, I could have obliterated a human eardrum.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

Red circles, which approximated the cruiser's cannons' approximate blast-zones, appeared on Chicane's HUD.

"Here comes another attack," Toni warned.

Another volley of energy bombs fell like rain across the track. Taro was caught in a sea of virtual red circles and was launched off the track as a bomb detonating near him.

"Taro!" I shouted.

"I'm alright!" he responded. "Pulling out!" Rivited teleported out of this Realm's existence via the EDR.

"I'm down! Sorry!" Banjee said.

The wildlife below us was bursting in flames. Ashen trees were falling off the cliffside, and chunks of rock and branches fell and floated across the river.

The vultures flew swiftly towards the cruiser. "Blow those bloated flies away!" Straussberg commanded to her crew.

I did not want to watch as I heard the deck cannons fire.

"Batteries charged."

The red fire-zones popped up on my HUD again with such narrow gaps in between that I knew some of us were going to be hit.

"FIRE!" Another barrage of energy bombs peppered down.

"This is Toni! I've taken damage! I'm withdrawing!"

"Ah, hell! I've been hit! I'm bailing out!" Jet shouted before he used his EDR.

"We're going to reach the end soon!" Maila shouted. "Just hold on a little longer."

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

"Straussberg, the attacks have wiped out all but four of them, but all of the targets we've neutralized have bailed out of this Realm. They must be using counter-jamming to negate our own."

"It matters not," I responded. "Regardless of if they all make it out, we will strike again and again. No one will stand in our way towards the utopia we are destined to create. FIRE!"

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

Another barrage. This time, the red-zones were too wide to avoid, and my car flew away from the track.

"Karma!" Maila screamed before another energy bomb knocked Octainium off the track. "Agh! Dammit! You're on your own, Vert! Sorry!"

Both of us left this Realm and returned to base. Chicane tumbled around before landing upside down.

"Woah!" Monkey's seatbelt came loose at that time and he landed face-first on the window with blood dripping down the left side of his forehead. "I'm okay."

I looked across the cracked one-piece window and saw the other drivers watching the portal, including Colonel Wheeler, who ran with a stressed and anxious look on his face towards Maila as she stopped Octainium.

"Karma…" Taro rushed towards my car.

"We're alright," I told him. "Taro, I'm glad you made it out alive." I unbuckled my seatbelt and began crawling out of the car.

"What happened here?" Colonel Wheeler asked Maila.

"We just got attacked by a cruiser the size of a football field," Maila replied as she got out of the car and walked towards me. "I'm not exaggerating."

I reached my hands out of the window; Taro and Maila kneeled and began pulling me out.

"It looks like Vert and Mojave are all that's left," Colonel Wheeler said, taking deep breaths as his gaze shifted to the portal.

"They'll make it, Colonel," Maila assured confidently as she and Taro finally pulled the rest of my body away from the car. "And Vert _will_ make it to the end. I know he will."

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

"The Eiss sisters have been neutralized. Those two are all that's left."

I smiled for the first time since the Valkyrie made a fool out of me in the Chrome Realm. "Payback," I whispered to myself. "The Murderer of Gelorum will forfeit all hope of stopping us once the next barrage launches."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"Mojave, keep yourself focused," I told him. "We can get through this."

"Dammit, the red-zones are too wide!"

"FIRE!" Straussberg shouted.

"I'm hit!" Mojave shouted. "Vert, get to the portal! I'll try to hold on until the next barrage!" he said as he deployed his parachute to slow his fall towards the detritus-filled river.

"Get out of there!" I shouted. "We're this close!"

"Vert, what if you get hit?"

"I'll see to it that I don't."

"If I leave and you get hit, we lose!" Mojave shouted.

"Mojave, you have your own people you're looking out for," I said. "And I don't want to see you end up like Kadeem. If I make it, your sacrifice will be in vain. Even if I fall, there will be others."

"FIRE!"

"I give you the best blessings, Acceleracer!" Mojave's Metaloid teleported back to the Southern Division base.

I activated my Nitrox 3 tanks, bursting across the track faster than the bombs could land.

One lone custom-built sports car versus a monolithic cruiser that could easily squish the former like a bug.

Electrical chaos raining down.

The shockwave from each explosion vibrating through the car into my bones. The electric speedometer shorted out. The windows were beginning to crack.

With countless hours behind the wheel, the cars I drove were like an extension to my own flesh and blood, much like how the Drones were literally parts of their own vehicles. Without the EDR working, as cheesy as it sounded, this car _was_ a part of me. If Power Rage would die, I would die.

"He's effortlessly evading our attacks," one of the Drones aboard that cruiser said.

"I want every single hull cannon aiming for that man," Straussberg said harshly.

And I put my trust from my hands to the isosceles-shaped steering wheel; from my feet to the clutch, brake, and gas pedals. Too little resulted in my loss in the Storm and Swamp Realms. And too much resulted in my failings in the Lava Realm and especially the Water Realm.

"Recharging hull batteries."

I once boasted to my father that I would be the greatest driver in the world, that I was a team of one.

I thought of Kadeem when I told Mojave to bail out. Kadeem had his people to drive for, and Mojave had his own.

My thoughts then shifted to Karma, Taro, Kurt, Markie, and the rest of the Teku and Metal Maniacs; then to the rest of the former World Race drivers that were now Silencerz; then to Kadeem and Harrison…

Then to Maila.

And finally, myself.

Everyone I drove with had a reason to drive, to prove their skills among the toughest tracks.

And while I knew someone could be best me one day, I was not going to lay myself to rest.

I put my confidence in equilibrium. The same equilibrium that helped me win the World Race. The same equilibrium that kept up with Gelorum in the race to the Accelerons' world.

"All hull batteries are primed at maximum value."

"Blow that Earth-built scrap heap AWAY!" Straussberg screamed.

_I will make it to the portal._

_I will win my first Accelecharger._

_I will see those I love again._

And such will would contest the impossible.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ  
Taro Kitano_

"We've got you," Karma said to Monkey as she and I pulled him by the arms out of the overturned Chicane with Porkchop and Tork standing alongside us.

Maila and Colonel Wheeler stood upright, watching the portal before Vert's car teleported from the Wheel to the entrance ramp. The latter sighed a breath of relief.

"Vert!" Maila ran towards Power Rage as Vert took off his helmet and got out. "Did you get the Accelecharger?"

Vert took a moment to catch his breath before he revealed the Accelecharger to us, glowing orange with the U-shaped symbol printed in the middle.

Maila smiled. "Oh, Vert." She quickly walked up to him and wrapped her arms across his back. Colonel Wheeler slowly followed. "You truly are the Acceleracer I thought you'd be."

"Is everyone still here?" Vert asked.

"We're all accounted for," Nolo replied.

"I couldn't see what was happening due to jamming, but whatever you just did, you did good," Colonel Wheeler complimented to his flesh and blood.

"He's stepped out of Maila's shadow," Karma commented at me before she turned back to Monkey and Porkchop to lift Chicane back into place.

* * *

_This isn't a game, kid. You're a driver now, not a surf rat._

When I first met Vert Wheeler, he treated his Deora II and the World Race like it was a game. His youthful and naïve demeanor looked embarrassing when in the same room as nine other renowned racers from around the world. All of us were expecting him to crash and burn one-tenth of the way in the first leg or even forfeit before the race began, but he had a natural and creative talent, and I was jealous of it. After we rescued Lani, he even took fourth place while I was behind him. A kid who just got his driver's license bested six of the ten World Race drivers on the first leg!

_That was good driving, for a kid._

I was infuriated.

When we were recruiting drivers for our teams, I could not help but think of Vert when I met Jet Blaney for the first time. I groaned at Jet's youthful character, but a part of me smiled when that surf rat came into my mind.

Even after the World Race, most of us thought his victory was a fluke, especially since we had to dig ourselves through an ice roadblock while Vert and Dresden were fighting Kurt and that CLYP Drone. A fluke nearly confirmed after seeing his poor performances in the Racing Realms. A part of me even believed he would make a mistake had Maila not supported him.

He did not have that elated look when he won the World Race. He looked more grateful that he came back alive, that we all came back alive.

After we all had to bail out from that cruiser's attack, I knew that he was not just lucky, but truly one of the best. He was an idol, much like Maila, much like Karma and myself. The four of us were a pillar of morale for the rest of the Silencerz, and a pillar of fear for Annette's Drones.

The Murderer of Gelorum, the Rogue Valkyrie, the Raven, and her Einherjar.

Still felt odd being called the latter, given my own background.

* * *

"Alright," Karma said to Porkchop, Tork and Monkey, who finished pushing Chicane to the side. "Porkchop, Monkey, get on the other side. Gently now."

Porkchop and Monkey ran towards the underbelly of the car, holding it by the side to cushion the fall as Tork and Karma pushed.

"Monkey, your foot," Porkchop said as Chicane was about to land on its wheels.

"What about it?" Monkey realized the front wheel was about to crush his foot and slipped it away before Porkchop put the car down.

"Don't want to end up like Maila, do you?" Porkchop joked.

"I said the same thing the first time you tried to spar with her," Monkey retorted as he dusted himself off.

Seeing Maila easily take on four of the Metal Maniacs and not get hit once during our first few training days was a pretty humorous memory. We took on Drones half our size and easily smashed through them like mannequins, but one Hybrid taking us all down at once?

"I have some video feed taken from Octainium on this SSD," Maila said to Colonel Wheeler as she handed a portable drive to him. "I propose we launch an assault op on that cruiser we faced."

"I'll be sure to inform General Walker and the other commanders about this," he replied. "Knowing that you, of all people, were taken out, we're going to need more operatives."

"If we are to launch an op against that cruiser, we should do it at the Drones' headquarters," Karma suggested. "By taking it down, we could damage some of their infrastructure and cut off industrial capabilities."

Maila's eyes widened. "That… that could work. I like your thinking, kid."

"Or, it could be a bad idea," Kurt argued cynically. "It's like setting off a mini-nuke in a city."

"The Geneva Conventions don't apply in the Drones' circle," Maila countered. "Performing an assault op is dangerous in a Racing Realm with the dangers of the Realms themselves interfering. Our best bet is in their headquarters."

"I'm… I'm just worried," Kurt said.

"About the Hybrids?" Maila questioned.

"I just can't help but feel like this isn't the right path," Kurt explained.

"Kurt, I know what you're thinking, but we could cripple the Drones in at least some way," Karma argued.

"They could also be mass-producing these cruisers," Taro added.

"I'll send several X-88-2 units to the Drones' HQ to provide intel on possible locations where that thing is built," Colonel Wheeler said, "as well as gather further information on that cruiser."

"We'll probably have to skip a Realm if we do this op," Alec said.

"We have two Accelechargers," Vert said. "We can afford one loss."

"Alright. For now, we're putting the Realms on hold until we fully analyze the photos on Captain Eiss's SSD," Colonel Wheeler announced. "I will schedule a briefing once I talk to the commanders. Until now, you are all dismissed."

* * *

_Racing Drones' HQ  
Alina LeBlanc_

Anna put her hand around my back as we watched the Hammer flying high in the dawning skies of our city. The nearby Drones across the track were saluting and bellowing, "Hail Gelorum!" as the cruiser passed by.

"I'll have to admit," I said, "it's days like this that I feel truly proud of becoming a Drone."

Anna stroked across my pink hair. "It would feel odd when we get chosen to drive, if the Hammer kills the four drivers."

"What, you feeling bad for them?" I questioned, chuckling.

"Of course not," Anna laughed.

"I just can't wait until they're all dead," I said. "I just hope the Hammer will finally give us peace."

"And right now, it's one of the only things that stands in their way," Anna said, her face looking slightly solemn.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"I don't think all the human drivers are bad," Anna answered. "When I saw footage of the Raven and her Einherjar defeating Blå, I just can't help but feel like those two are much like us. In fact, I honestly want them to stay alive, but away from the Valkyrie's corruption."

I took a glimpse towards her green eyes and put my hand around Anna's blue hair. "I understand, love," I said. A part of me feared what the Valkyrie was going to pull off in the next Realm. But as we softly locked lips, I knew I needed a moment like this, as if it were our last. It was the darkest times in the world we left behind that brought us together, and this would be our strongest weapon.

I looked up at the sky and saw a small fleet of Drones, flying their vehicles on the Strato-Thrusters into the Hammer's hangar bay. One of them was Annette, piloting her Oh-Nine.

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

Annette and her guards walked into my quarters.

"Chancellor." I kneeled and bowed before her.

"I have witnessed the tests of this mighty vessel," Annette said. "You have performed… adequately. Morale has skyrocketed, newer Hybrids are completing the tests for the Ragnarok program."

"With the Hammer, we have locked in victory for the Drone fleet," I boasted. "We will win all the Accelechargers and gain access to the gateway to the Accelerons as you wished it to be."

"But in your attack, you exploited this vessel to the humans," Annette countered, her tone becoming more cynical. "All the humans you attacked came back alive, and the Murderer of Gelorum even won the Accelecharger. The four drivers still stand, and they will retaliate. They must be brought to justice, and if they remain alive throughout this war, this creation will be our undoing."

"If they attack, we will be prepared," I assured in a stilted manner.

"You're still shaken about your defeat by the Valkyrie's hands-"

"We shot her down, Chancellor," I interrupted.

"You are still fearful of her. And this fear has already undone a great few of our Hybrids." Annette came closer, kneeled beside me, and stoked my jaw. "Fear should not factor into our utopian hopes."

"When we see each other again, we will kill her," I said, my voice becoming even more shaken. "This I promise."

"To Gelorum, you shall honor that promise," Annette said as she stood up.

* * *

_The Hammer's Hangar, formerly Highway 35's Desert Leg  
One hour later_

Constructed on the Desert track was a colossal hangar for the Hammer, where it was first constructed. The pyramids were repurposed for a renewable supply of solar energy, and there were oil farms and sand extraction facilites for fuel and for the windshields of our vehicles, respectively.

"Welcome home, Captain Straussberg," the base commander greeted as the Hammer touched down.

My head sank down. Despite our victory, Annette was correct.

I was still fearful.

But not only towards the four drivers.

But to Annette as well.

Or maybe Annette was fearful?


	17. Bird Cage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a shorter chapter than most, but no less important. This is the start of how this fic will play out going forward, though I will assure that we will go back to racing after this act is concluded.
> 
> I have completed mapping out the rest of this fic; it will have a total of four acts, and there's going to be, at minimum, 28 chapters to this fic. I also have a basic idea for Acceleracers VI, but I need some time to flesh out the plot in that one.

_17: Bird Cage_  
_Silencerz HQ_  
_Kurt Wylde_

Maila walked towards me as I was about to head into the conference room with a disgruntled look on her face. "Kurt," she said.

"What is it?" I asked her tensely.

"You're going to be sitting this operation out," she revealed sternly.

"What? How come?"

"Kurt, you've been barred because of your piss-poor performance in the Realms as well as your lack of training, especially for an op like this," Maila explained.

"What do you mean?" I questioned. "Monkey lost two of his cars—"

"At least Mitchell McClurg knows how to fly," Maila said.

"Wait, flying?" I asked, confused. "You've been keeping me from—"

"Kurt, I know you don't like what we're doing, and had you ever been proficient in our training runs, you would have begun training with our flight tech, but you're still a novice," Maila said. "I've said it many times beyond counting, but you know—"

"'We're no longer just racing against the Drones', you're going to say," I interrupted pessimistically.

Maila sighed. "Kurt, there isn't any other way we can stop the Drones. You really need to bite that bullet. In the next Realm, you'll be able to drive, but for now, you're going to have to wait."

I looked down as Maila left for the conference room. "Fair enough," I whispered to myself.

I felt like a bird with the cage door open, but I was afraid to fly, even with my experiences.

And Maila held the keys and kept me locked.

Markie and Nolo stopped walking and looked at me on their way. "Kurt? Kurt, what's going on?" Markie asked. Nolo had a similarly confused look.

"I've been kicked out of this op," I grunted. "Just ask Maila."

"Kurt, you're not going to make this situation any better by budding heads with her," Nolo said. " _I_ know it won't make things better. That's how the Drones nearly won the first time. We need to be better than this."

"I know," I said.

"Kurt, these Drones are playing for keeps," Markie said. "You saw what happened in the Canyon Realm; you would have been killed or captured there."

"I know," I repeated in a more defeated, almost robotic manner. "If only Maila believed there are Drones that are fighting against Annette…"

"I'm sure Maila wants to believe," Markie tried to assure. "We're all hoping Harrison is still out there fighting against the Drones, but right now—"

"Maila thinks Harrison might be dead."

"Kurt, this is reality," Nolo said. "Thinking of another way, especially when we're fighting Drones, is going to get you killed."

Tork, Taro, and Karma stopped by us. "You can continue your argument another time," the Maniacs' leader said to us. "The briefing's almost about to begin."

Markie looked at me. "We'll talk later," he said as he left with the rest of the drivers.

As I walked back to my quarters, I took a brief glimpse at Karma in particular. Out of all the drivers, she was the one that was most drawn into Maila's driving. Though I knew she was not as keen to killing people as Maila was (especially with Maila destroying damaged or retreating vehicles while Karma spared the surviving members of Blå), I felt like she was mere steps away from becoming like her. After seeing that footage of her battling Drones in the Canyon Realm with the way she rammed that purple Drone off the track, I just could not see her the same way I did many months ago.

It was as if she was a clone of Maila. Just seeing her with her short curly hair untied reminded me too much of her sister.

 _Is your sister really the person you look up to?_ I wondered.

If she continued to look after Maila, would she choose to kill the rest of Blå Squadron?

* * *

_Mark Wylde_

"You did your part," Nolo said to me. "Just hope Kurt does his…"

"I'm hoping that we might find something when we start this op," I said. "Especially since we may be heading into their base."

"I'm sure by now, we may see a difference compared to our last op in the Drones' headquarters," Tork anticipated.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Conference Room  
Maila Eiss_

"Intel gathered in the Drones' headquarters has identified that cruiser as the 'Hammer'," Colonel Wheeler began briefing to the drivers. Pictures of the Hammer flashed on the monitor behind him and me.

Blueprints of the Hammer popped then up. The deck of the cruiser was covered with AAM launchers and light energy ball turrets, including eight giant turrets; two on the ends of its wide wings, another pair where the wings and body meet, a pair on the middle of its body, and near the rear end of the plane. There were fifteen engines; ten on its wings and five on its rear end.

"According to intelligence from our X-88-2 units, the Hammer has an arsenal of weapons located on almost all sides of the cruiser, including an internal jamming device located inside."

I saw Monkey gulp at the sight of it all.

"Now that's just ridiculous," Banjee said.

"How many turrets does this thing need?" Alec said.

"We also discovered the location where this cruiser was built, which is where our operation will take place; we will be skipping the Micro Realm to perform this op."

Another set of pictures showed a desert with a massive hangar, a field of smaller pyramids covered by solar panels, oil facilities, and factories.

"That's the Desert Leg of Highway 35," Banjee noted.

"This is a hot spot for Drone resources. If we take it down, we will significantly cripple the Drone fleet," I said. "The Hammer is the only of its kind; the destruction of their hangar will prevent any further productions of superweapons such as this."

"We will also be using this…" Colonel Wheeler said.

A picture displayed on the monitor, showing a white Hyperpod-esque aircraft with a car (Iridium in this case) controlling it. The craft had forward-swept wings, canards next to the cockpit, and two square afterburners on its back. Rail guns were also placed on each wing, and it was equipped with FAE missiles and Nitrox 3-fueled XLAAs.

This was why we barred Kurt from this op.

"The Ognaesson: An VTOL-based aircraft that's as maneuverable as a high-tier fighter jet," I explained. "If you get shot down, your car will eject from this craft and you can still provide support from the ground."

"We will be sending ground troops from the EU unit on an armored air transport to take care of the jamming device," Colonel Wheeler continued. "The ground troops will consist of the nine EU operatives we rescued three months ago with support from Team Tyr from the Southern Division."

"Rather than destroy the Hammer, we will be taking control of it and destroying as much of their infrastructure as we can," I said. "We are expected to face heavy resistance; air support will be reinforced by units from the Southern U.S. division, the SA division, the Australian division, and several members of the Elite Stealth Force."

"Do you have any questions?" Colonel Wheeler asked.

"Are there any other areas we could take out besides the desert base?" Porkchop questioned.

I smiled. "Unfortunately, if we manage to take control of the Hammer, we expect its fuel reserves to be low. The destruction of the facilities in our mission area will be enough to cripple them."

"How many people will be on foot?" Karma asked.

"In total, fifteen foot soldiers," Colonel Wheeler answered.

"Will that be enough to take control of such a huge cruiser?"

"We've settled conflicts with much fewer men," I said. "The assault on the CLYP base was done with just six. The rest of the Elite Stealth Force division have returned from Greece and are on standby; if our ground troops fail their mission, the ESF will finish it."

"Any other questions?" Colonel Wheeler asked. Everyone remained silent. "Alright, we begin at 2100 hours. Prepare your vehicles and come back in one piece."

* * *

_Micro Realm  
Kendra Straussberg_

"This is Ryo Mazuki, something strange is going on," the Elite Drone in the white and green RD-09 reported as he and the other Drones drove across a Realm that miniaturized the vehicles to the size of toy cars. They were on a freeway, evading traffic that was the size of our shrunken Hammer. "There are no human drivers present in this Realm."

Anxiety struck inside my heart. "It's beginning…"

"Straussberg?"

"Mazuki, once all your forces make it through, activate your Strato-Thrusters and head into the hangar to rearm and refuel," I ordered. "The four drivers are going to attack the moment we head back to base."

My prosthetics began to shake, and my breathing was much louder.

"Everything alright?" one of the crew members asked.

"Everything… everything is going to be alright," I said.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Aircraft Bay  
Maila Eiss_

I drove Octainium into the docking port of my Ognaesson craft. I began tapping on the controls on my car to synchronize its controls, then looked at Vert as he docked Power Rage in his own craft.

"You haven't told me much about this Elite Stealth Force you're in," Vert said to me. "I just assume you guys are the best of the Silencerz."

"The ESF are General Walker's personal force, sent to handle some rather volatile world conflicts," I explained. "You may not know it, but this world would have been a wasteland a dozen times over if it weren't for us. Of course, we had to get our hands pretty dirty."

"Sounds like they're a lot like you," Vert commented.

"Well, let's just say, other than Karma, I chose to stay with Colonel Wheeler's forces for another reason…"

"This is Sabre," the X-88-2 unit radioed from the Drones' HQ. "The Hammer has just exited the city and is about to reach the mission point in one hour."

"Alright, get that ceiling hatch open," Colonel Wheeler commanded the control center staff. The dome opened, exposing the star-covered night sky.

We primed the vertical thrusters on our Ognaessons and began lifting off.

"Preparing portal coordinates," Colonel Wheeler said. A beam of light shot out from the Wheel of Power in the control center into the sky, creating a circular blue portal. "Good luck out there."

"Alright, teams, if this op succeeds, the Drones' days will be numbered," I said. "They've kicked the hornet's nest, and the entire colony is out for blood." I activated the Ognaesson's afterburners, swiftly launching myself into the portal followed by the rest of the teams.


	18. Danger Zone

_18: Danger Zone_  
_Three-hundred miles North of the Hammer's Hangar, formerly Highway 35's Desert Leg_  
_Kendra Straussberg_

 

"This is Straussberg to Hammer Base Command, send in a group of tanker and supply planes. We are expected to be in combat soon," I radioed. Anxiety crept up into my cybernetic heart with this notion.

No. I was waiting, _begging_ for our confrontation to happen.

"Roger that. We'll also be sending some additional fighters your way as well."

"Straussberg, there's a problem with the jamming module," one of the engineers said to me. Another jammer was online, cancelling the Hammer's.

"Find the source of that other jammer and shut it down," I ordered. "Looks like we have a spy in our ranks."

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

Our division flew out of the portal above a sea of muddy sand. The skies were covered in dark clouds that unleashed rain across the brown lands. I could feel the Ognaesson straining slightly while moisture and ice started accumulating onto my two windshields as we headed towards our destination.

The teams from the other divisions flew from different portals to our aid.

The Southern U.S. division had six more craft accompanying them, including a larger Osmium dropship carrying the foot soldiers. In addition to Toni, Mojave, and Jet, other World Race drivers, Bart Scampi, Ricky Bell, and Tono were also piloting their own Ognaessons. The SA division consisted of eight craft, including World Race drivers Chuvo and Rekkas. Their vehicles had a distinct metallic golden body with blue windows. The EU division had eight craft that had metallic blue bodies and red windows; they also accompanied an Osmium carrying the same nine Silencerz we rescued three months ago. World Race drivers Everest and Griffin were among the eight craft. The AU division also had eight craft, including Heralda, formerly of the Dune Ratz. Their colors were green bodies and gold windows. Finally, there were four craft that comprised of the Elite Stealth Force; their Octainiums were covered in black, including the windows.

"This is Captain Ian Sorenson of the Elite Stealth Force division's Team Odin to Captain Maila Eiss," he greeted in a gravely Englishman accent. "It's been far too long since Turkey."

"I remember," I said. It felt as if I was in Istanbul again after seeing a tank flip over into a building in front of me.

"General Walker told me you caused a stir with the Drones. Now that we've finished Greece, we'll be happy to amplify that in any way."

"Be my guest, Ian," I said half-heartedly with a bit of bitterness, gripping the wheel and pitch stick tightly.

Sorenson sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about Aylin—"

"I know," I abruptly cut in. "There was nothing you could have done. We're in another world. We're killing tyrants. What you do here doesn't matter to me."

I looked at Vert on my right side, who was staring back sympathetically; ditto with Karma.

"This is Everest. Taro Kitano, Krakatoa, it's an honor to fly with you guys again."

"This is Heralda of Team Freya, we'll be approaching the Hammer in twenty miles."

* * *

_San Jay Khan_

"All units, man the laser turrets and prepare for combat," Finn commanded to the other eight units on this craft. "They know we're coming."

The Osmium was not just a standard troop transport, but an assault craft with turrets/missile launchers across the left, right, back, and front sides of its deck.

We were equipped with X8A7 rail guns that served as a hybrid between a carbine and a sniper rifle. The magazines used were solar powered that recharges automatically. There was also an underslung EMP launcher that was a miniaturized version of the ones in our cars. Just in case our solar cores overheat, we also had X1 semi-automatic pistols that held seven .50 caliber rounds.

Some of us specialized in different type of weaponry, however. Raffa specialized in heavy weaponry, carrying an Y2A3 rail gun that acted like an LMG while also carrying a X6 electric shotgun.

"Major Latvaa to all EU units, once you've touched down, destroy the jamming facilities and take out everyone that's in the flight deck," Latvaa reminded.

"Copy that," I replied before looking down on the ground. "Can't believe we used to drive here two years ago."

"I remember you hooking me from behind when we were in that bloody sand dune," Finn joked before looking at the grey skies. "What a sad sight."

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"Kadeem thought he found the Wheel of Power here," Vert said melancholically. "Wouldn't be surprised if we saw him again. If we have to take him out…"

"At this point, we'll _have_ to do it," Toni firmly said.

"Guess this is what war boils down to…"

"Blaney to Captain Eiss, something strange is going on," Jet reported. "There's no jamming range on the radar."

"My radar is clear as well," Vert said. "There must be a couple of rogue Drones here."

"Sorenson to all ESF operatives, we're going in. All other units, hold position five miles away from the Hammer." The ESF planes activated their invisibility cloaks and zoomed past me and Vert.

"Lieutenant Raines to Captain Sorenson, our weapons systems are still operative in this range. Permission to engage?"

"Permission granted," Sorenson replied in a deathly tone as they neared the Hammer. "Focus your fire on the capital turrets."

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

A series of shockwaves rocked the bridge hard. I grabbed the edge of a bolted seat, catching myself from falling.

"Straussberg, we have lost all the capital turrets and three missile launchers," one of the crew members reported frantically.

"Launch fighters immediately!" I ordered. "Base command, hold off on the tankers and send the rest of your fighters instead!"

"We can't spot those enemy fighters. They're not showing up on our radar."

"All turrets, switch to flash rounds."

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

The smaller turrets shot off grenades that exploded into a blinding white light.

"I can't see shit! What's going on!" Bart questioned.

"So much for stealth," Sorenson said calmly as our invisibility cloaks wore off.

The turrets then started firing at the four operatives at all directions. Left, right, front, above, and below, green electric spheres littered across the sky. The ESF weaved away from the firing paths with such eclectic and effortless precision that Karma would have been jealous of.

"They're really mad now," Banjee said.

"This is Captain Eiss to all units, back the ESF boys up and tear up as much of the deck ordinance as you can so our ground forces can land safely!" I commanded as we rocketed our way towards the Hammer.

"This is Balalaika 1. Preparing to take off!"

"Tambura Squadron, take off!"

"This is Mazuki, I'm airbourne."

"Contact! We have bandits flying from the hangars!" Rekkas reported as dozens of Drone vehicles, equipped with the same flight craft that Drone used against Vert in the Canyon Realm.

"This is Scampi, I've taken damage. Bailing Technetium off!" Bart informed.

"Vert, Karma, Taro, let's take care of the fighters," I advised. "All other units, keep on the barrage on the ordinance!"

"Odin Team, time to swat some flies," Sorenson ordered.

The skies lit up as if the gray clouds were made of gasoline. Drones flew in all directions either pursuing or being pursued by our forces. The missile alert alarm was blaring so frequently and comm chatter was so overbearing, the words might as well be gibberish.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ  
Kurt Wylde_

"Enemy plane trailing smoke," Rainer reported to Sorenson.

"Follow Captain Eiss's past examples," Sorenson ordered coldly.

I watched through Rainer's camera as he unleashed a barrage of lasers towards the damaged Drone craft, gunning it down with more holes than Swiss cheese before only scraps of blackened metal remained. "He's history."

"Odin 3, Fox 3." Maki shot his Nitrox 3-fueled missiles into one of the hangars. The entire space became a fiery inferno within one second after the impact.

"Man, I'm glad these ESF guys are friendly," Monkey commented.

Sera strangely held his fire until his prey hovered above an oil facility. "You'll be useful here," he said as he fired on the Drone, forcing the fiery wreckage of the craft to crash into the facility. The Drone's resulting explosion set off the fuel. Fire spread across the facility's pipelines with black smoke darkening the already turbulent weather.

"Bandit down," Sorenson said calmly, as if he was conversing with a friend at a tea party despite riddling another plane with enough blasts to massacre a small neighborhood.

It felt as if Maila had four clones.

I looked at Maila's camera as she was pursuing a Drone. The Hybrid was constantly glued to her prey's tail, tearing him apart piece by piece with her cannons. No matter how hard he tried, he was dead the moment Maila engaged.

Smoke began to trail from the Drone and Maila stopped firing.

"Requesting backup! I need to pull out—"

I knew Maila stopped her barrage to hear the Drone's panicked pleas as if she was giving him a hope spot before she resumed firing.

Vert and Taro pursued three Drones, the latter downing one with the second crashing into the first. Vert laid enough fire at the third enough to have him trail smoke.

"I've taken considerable damage! Retreating back to the—"

It was not Vert or Taro who downed him. That would not be like those two.

Not even Maila.

"He's done," Karma reported in a tone almost as cold as her sister's.

Scratch that. _Five_ clones.

Though it seemed like she zig-zagged from showing no mercy to sparing certain targets. In this case, while that craft she destroyed had a Heavy controlling it, I noticed she was sparing some of the Light Drones. At least I knew she was going for a seemingly more pragmatic approach in comparison.

Still, it brought a bad taste in my mouth knowing she was one step closer to resembling Maila and the ESF than the rest of us. A part of me felt like she had an influence on them; I even suspected something out of Vert, despite him not showing much aggression in combat.

Lani looked at me as I sat down on a chair and massaged my temples. "You alright?" she asked.

"You know I've detested what Maila's been doing," I said. "Now, there's more people like her. Guess this is what I'll be expecting from here on."

"Do you still feel like you want to quit?" she asked.

I looked at Markie's camera as he bagged a couple of enemy craft.

"If only Markie was wise enough to do the same," I said.

"You know the Maniacs too well by now," Lani said. "I doubt Wylde would turn his back on them, or Vert, for that matter."

"Always stubborn…" I stealthily smiled when I saw Markie hold his own. Despite being captured seven months ago, he seemed like he was in good spirits compared to when he got out of prison. At least I was thankful for him at this moment than his reckless self.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"Looks like we have an Elite flying in the skies," I noted, observing a G-class with a white body and a green windshield. The rear engine had a green kanji-marking that meant 'Artist.' "I'll take care of this guy."

"Dammit! The Valkyrie's engaging me!"

As I began firing, 'Artist' braked. "Shit!" I shouted as I swerved away before he began firing at me.

"I've got your tail, Mai." Vert trailed behind him and fired at Artist's right wing, forcing his craft down.

"I've seen that kanji before," I noted as I turned towards Artist's G-class, which had just ejected from its flight exoskeleton. "Not taking any chances with this guy." I fired my lasers into the vehicle, obliterating it into a fiery wreckage that scattered down throughout the wet sands.

* * *

_San Jay Khan_

"Thirty seconds to go," Finn said as the two Osmiums approached one of the hangar bays. "All units, once we've reached our destination, blow this bloody hangar to shreds and proceed to the jamming room."

I already felt like tiring out just trying to keep Drone planes from approaching us. Although the other units covered my blind spots, a part of me felt like we were going to get hit in a place we least expected.

As we reached the hangar entry point, we blasted as much ordinance, vehicles, and Drones as we could. Vehicles were reduced to rubble while fuel tanks and other flammable components burst into unnaturally greenish-yellow flames. Drones were flying; some in one piece, others in pieces.

"Cease fire!" Finn ordered. "This area's clear." He then ordered us to "move out" of the Osmiums. "This is Lieutenant Serpa to Major Latvaa. We have landed safely in the Hammer."

"Copy that," Latvaa radioed. "Let me or Captain Eiss know your progress."

"Contact! We have Drones running from that doorway!" I shouted.

Finn activated the sniper mode of his X8A7, extending the barrel, increasing the magnification of my scope, and unleashing a large purple laser blast into the enemy squad as they were about to spread out. He was able to hit two of the eight with one hit, forcing them to backflip back like Olympic athletes into the hallway they came from.

Unlike that fiasco of a stealth op three months ago, we came prepared, ready to take on a fleet of foot soldiers, despite only having fifteen other squadmates.

Although the Drones also came prepared, utilizing their own railway weaponry, they fell like training mannequins within seconds.

In my case, as I also activated my X8A7's sniper mode, the final Drone flew in the air upon shooting him.

"That's all of them for now," Maximo said.

"Alright. All units, proceed to waypoint Bravo," Finn commanded as he and I transformed our rail guns back to assault mode.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"That boy's as good as you said he would be," Sorensen said to me on a private radio channel as I saw Vert down another craft.

I smiled. "He's a natural. And… kind of cute."

"He could be ESF material himself."

I watched as Vert left to focus on other craft as the downed Drone eject from the craft. "Ask Colonel Wheeler. I'm sure Vert would like it either."

"All units, multiple targets approaching vector 180. Heads up, they're firing!" Colonel Wheeler radioed.

"This is Griffin, I'm hit."

"Bail out and provide ground support," Everest ordered.

"Eight fighters approaching. They're Elites," Taro commented.

I took a closer look at the eight fighters. All of them were piloting the same new Light vehicles our units faced in the Canyon Realm. The bodies and windows were covered in black; there were not even decals.

* * *

**SVART  
3** **rd** **Elite Battle Squadron**  
**Racing Drones**  
_Zoe Mordstrom_

"This is Svart 8. Targets confirmed. The four drivers are in this airspace."

I smiled. "To all units, let this be the orgasm of our lives as we face off these people. Do not let fear hold you back."

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"Oh, I remember her," I said.

"Zoe Mordstrom to the four drivers, this battle will determine who is worthy to lead this war," the captain of the eight-place formation said.

"Guess you've found a fine time to die," I said as their squadron swarmed around the four of us. "All operatives, stay aware. This squadron is a unique enemy."

"Focus on the four drivers. Take them two on one."

Two planes immediately glued onto my tail; ditto with Vert, Taro, and Karma.

"This is Griffin. Scampi and I are being pursued by ground mechs. Need support!"

"This is Tono. We're coming for you. Bell, you're with me."

* * *

_Bart Scampi_

Four wolf-shaped mechs chased after us, grinding their sharp metal claws across the track. A barrage of energy bombs scattered from their mouths towards us.

Tono and Bell flew down and began their firing pass, putting two of the four down. I watched from behind as the mechs began firing heat-seeking missiles at the two.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me-!" Tono shouted before his craft was shot down. He ejected his car and began trailing behind the mechs.

* * *

_San Jay Khan_

"Check your corners," Finn advised as we marched into a narrow hallway with various doors.

"Clear," Raffa reported.

"Cle—" Suddenly, a Drone tackled me to the ground, then lifted his fist, ready to turn my face into disfigured meat. Raffa grabbed him from behind, lifted him over his back and performed a suplex.

"Thanks," I said as I got up.

"We've got Drone signatures heading our way," Maximo informed. "Armed with shields, from the looks of it."

"Use the corners as cover and get ready," Finn ordered. "It's going to get heavy here!"

"CONTACT!" I shouted as the shield-carrying Drones began firing on us.

"Seraph is down!" Finn shouted. "Team, use your EMP launchers and hit them from above!"

Finn, Maximo, and I peaked across the hallway and aimed above the shielded Drones. Purple electricity rained down on them, disabling all but a few.

Raffa cooked a grenade and threw it from behind the four remaining Drones, rendering them into scrap metal.

"Alright, let's keep moving!" Finn shouted.

"I remember when Gelorum was stupid enough _not_ to have these guys use guns," one of the American operatives commented.

"Yanks, always expect the unexpected," Finn reminded. "We're getting close to the jammer. Expect heavy resistance. Khan, Maximo, prepare your liquid shields."

"Copy that."

As we ran into a much larger room, Maximo and I threw containers of liquid metal on the floor, forming metal walls for cover.

Cover we needed as Drones ran towards us in all directions from the side balconies to the ground floor.

"Lieutenant Serpa, what is your status?" Latvaa asked.

"We're two-hundred yards from the jamming source. Heavy resistance."

"Johnsen is down," an American operative reported. "I repeat, Johnsen is down!"

"Alpha Team, there are two staircases to the balconies," Raffa reported. "I'll provide covering fire while you make your way."

"Copy that," Finn said. "Khan, Maximo, take the left stairway. I'll take the right. Hopper, Windhover, you're with me."

"NOW!" Raffa shouted as he peaked out, shooting at the troops in front of him while we made our way, barely dodging the stray bullets.

"First floor clear," I said to Maximo. "I'll take point up the stairs. Prepare your EMP launchers."

As I made my way towards the top, a Drone attempted to punch me, but I grabbed his torso and dragged him across the balcony, blocking Drone lasers with his back before pushing him onto two Drones. I then fired an EMP launcher at the remaining Drones on the balcony; once it was cleared, I shot another at the Drones on the ground floor.

"Area clear," Finn said as he shot a railway round into a fallen Drone. "Server room is right next to us. Let's go."

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"Maila, I'm pulling Maneuver Mike-Echo," Vert said. "Get ready."

Vert steered his Ognaesson in front of me and started charging head-on. He shot at the two Svart planes chasing after me while I returned the favor with the two on his six before we crossed over each other.

However, the Svart planes were smart enough to dodge away, only leaving minor marks.

"That was too predictable of us," I said to Vert. "Their leader was an air force pilot. They know what they are doing."

"You remember me all too well," Zoe remarked. "When will you learn you are fighting for a lost cause?"

"I'm wondering the same thing." Maki approached the two Svart planes from behind and began firing. One of the planes chasing Karma diverged and charged head on, launching an energy ball that severed one of Maki's wings.

"No! Dammit!" he shouted. "I've been shot down. Ejecting."

The enemy craft diverged too far out of formation and found himself caught in Vert's path. "Damn," he said before Vert shot them down.

"This is Svart 6. I'm hit," the downed Drone said in a female's voice.

"Bail out and leave this area," Zoe ordered. "All other planes, stay in formation."

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"You're dead, Raven." Another Svart plane diverged from Taro's path and began charging at me from head on at the same altitude the Drone chasing me was in.

I smirked and fired a FAE missile at the Drone in front by only seven-hundred yards, bursting the craft into flames. I quickly ascended away as the Drone was about to crash into me, hoping he would crash into the Drone pursuing me, but the latter nearly mirrored my movements and evaded.

"Fox 2," Taro said as his craft shot a missile at my pursuing Drone, but he dodged it. Flying head-on towards Taro, the Svart plane fired an energy ball and clipped one of his wings but not before he took the Svart down with him.

"Taro!" I shouted.

Taro ejected Rivited out of the burning Ognaesson and found himself diving into one of the Hammer's hangars.

* * *

**KILL RECORDS**

**A/N: This is going to be a section devoted to bios of the Elite Drones that have been downed so far. Inspired by Ace Combat's way of creating biographies of aces that you shot down.**

Dimitri Harkov  
Callsign: Rød 1  
Status: Alive, defeated by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-09  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: A pro-Stalinist, Dimitri Harkov found a place with Gelorum and Annette when they introduced him to the Racing Drones. He believed he could spark a renaissance of Stalinist ideals upon becoming a Hybrid and was feared even by Gelorum for his views. He is currently training new members for future races.

Kristian Solberg  
Callsign: Rød 2  
Status: Killed by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-04  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Disillusioned by the political climate across the world, Solberg joined the Racing Drones of his own accord. He was killed following the Silencerz' operation to liberate nine captured Silencerz.

Rainer Jarkko  
Callsign: Rød 3  
Status: Killed by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-04  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Though he initially chose not to become a Drone, Jarkko was delighted to meet Dimitri Harkov and related with his extreme views. He was killed when the ejection mechanism in his RD-04 failed. A further background check showed attempted plans for the arson of twenty churches in Sweden.

Harrison Lau  
Callsign: Rød 4  
Status: Missing in action, defeated by Karma Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-04  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Having previously worked as an insider in the World Race for the CLYP organization, Lau turned to the Drones, knowing he had been outed as a spy. His whereabouts, alongside Jari Lindroos, are unknown.

Kendra Straussberg  
Callsign: Superior  
Status: Alive, defeated by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-09  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: A member of the House of Straussberg, she was the only living member of her bloodline following a house fire that killed all but her. She was approached by Annette, who explained that an anarchist movement in France was responsible and convinced her to become a Drone to restore pride in the Straussberg name.  
ADDENDUM: An article by the _Luxemburger Wort_ , published 20/2/2024 found an unknown metal element in the house fire. Commenters theorize this was a possible cause.

Einar Johansen  
Callsign: Blå 1  
Status: Alive, defeated by Karma Eiss and Taro Kitano  
Vehicle: RD-09  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Taken against his will by the Drones, he found a renewed passion for racing and competition. He never had any interests in the conflict and focused on driving rather than a cause. During the Chrome Realm, comm chatter expressed that Johansen grew interest for Karma Eiss after his defeat by her and Taro Kitano's hands.

Heather Andersen  
Callsign: Blå 2  
Status: Alive, defeated by Karma Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-03  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: A close friend of Einar Johansen, she was also taken against her will and converted to a Drone. The hopes for a utopia were promising, but negated when the Silencerz attacked Rød Squadron. She grows weary of Annette's reign following her defeat in the Chrome Realm. Andersen has reported higher training scores than her leader, but chose not to lead Blå Squadron due to perceiving Johansen as the better leader.

Erich Zimmerman  
Callsign: Blå 3  
Status: Killed by Taro Kitano  
Vehicle: RD-04  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: A tech wizard, he is responsible for hacking Silencerz tech for the Drones to counter. He was killed in the Chrome Realm when a chrome sphere crushed his cockpit. In his human life, he was known as the founder of JT before he resigned to focus on his career as a military engineer.

Tom Aarseth  
Callsign: Blå 4  
Status: Alive, defeated by Karma Eiss  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Aarseth was formerly a professional racer and creative consultant for various driving simulators. He was known to lift the spirits of other drivers, humans and Drones alike. Brain-scans indicated discomfort over Annette's propaganda speeches, a trend not uncommon for many Hybrids.

Brian Kadeem  
Callsign: Zone  
Status: Missing in action, defeated by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-04  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: A former World Race driver turned Hybrid, Brian Kadeem hoped that the Drones would bring Annette's utopian ideals to his home in the Sahara Desert. He was sent into the Chrome Realm as a trial for becoming a member of Rød Squadron, but his whereabouts are unknown. Some Hybrids deem him unstable, but Annette believes otherwise, despite the abnormal brain-scans.

Vadim Jarvaa  
Callsign: Amethyst  
Status: Killed by Karma Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Though he claimed to have a sister who was killed by Maila Eiss, the Racing Drones' databanks proved otherwise. Human colleagues who knew him described him as manipulative, toxic, and narcissistic. He had been banned from 60% of all public places in Helsinki, Finland.

RD-L1  
Callsign: Righthand  
Status: Killed by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-08  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: A Racing Drone with the memories of various tyrannical officers in history, RD-L1 served as Gelorum's right hand man and encountered the humans in the first set of Realms. He wished revenge on Vert Wheeler, but was defeated in the Canyon Realm. Annette has since deleted RD-L1's memory bank, removing the last traces of Gelorum's influence.

Ryo Mazuki  
Callsign: Artist  
Status: Killed by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-09  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: A designer for hire for various companies and military organizations, Mazuki helped create the Hammer following the Silencerz's rescue operation. He had previously been in contact with Gelorum, designing the Prototype 12 vehicles for the CLYP organization. Colleagues noted him for his love for science fiction, which inspired many of his creations.

Alyssa Gray  
Callsign: Svart 6  
Status: Missing in action, defeated by Vert Wheeler  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Her whereabout are currently unknown after the assault on the Hammer. All records regarding the Svart Squadron in the Racing Drones' databanks have been deleted prior to the assault. No obituaries were posted on Alyssa Gray prior to her departure from human life; she either changed her name or her name has been potentially falsified by word-of-mouth.

Omar Jordan  
Callsign: Svart 7  
Status: Killed by Karma Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Due to the records of Svart Squadron being erased, only Jordanson's name and affiliation could be recovered via word-of-mouth, though the former may have been falsified due to the lack of an obituary post under his name.

Justin Bergeron  
Callsign: Svart 5  
Status: Missing in action, defeated by Taro Kitano  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Though all records of Svart Squadron were purged, word-of-mouth from the human world last saw Bergeron with Zoe Mordstrom at a restaurant in London. It is implied other members of the Svart Squadron previously contacted Mordstrom in their human lives.


	19. Null

_19: Null_  
_The Hammer_  
 _Taro Kitano_

Rivited landed hard in the hangar with the front right wheel falling off. The brakes were not cooperating as my car barreled into the crates, Drones, motorcycles, and weapon ordinance before the front end crashed into a Heavy exoskeleton and flipped over.

"Taro, are you alright?" Karma radioed frantically. "Taro?!"

"I'm fine," I replied calmly. "Just a little turned around."

"Spread out and search the area," a Drone announced as his squad of Drones marched across the hangar.

"Dammit…" I grabbed my katana, hooking the sheath on my belt, and slowly walked out of the car. All the Drones were equipped with rail guns; not a good situation for someone who only had a sword and sidearm pistol. The railgun I brought along was bursting with sparks, and I did not want to risk blowing myself up to test it out.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"This is Tork, I'm going after Taro," the Metal Maniac leader informed. "Porkchop, Wylde, you're with me. Monkey, keep providing support for the teams in the air."

"Maila, requesting permission to rescue Taro," I proposed.

"Negative, sis," Maila objected while dodging fire from the two Svart planes on her tail. "The Svart Squadron is our focus. Those three are enough to suffice."

"Damn… fine…" I grunted.

"You are afraid, Raven," Zoe said to me. "Afraid that death is lurking for him."

The Svart plane that chased after Taro flew towards the hangar and I watched with anxiety in my heart as he fired a missile into it, turning the interior into a fiery inferno. I saw the Maniacs' Ognaessons tumble down from the shrapnel.

"No!" I shouted.

"Tork, what's going on?" Monkey shouted desperately. "Porkchop? Wylde? Can you hear me?"

"We're fine!" Tork radioed. "I don't know about Taro; we've been cut off by the debris! Taro, can you read me?"

"Yeah. I'm still here," Taro replied.

The plane that shot the missile went for another run, shooting another missile at the hangar. I quickly intercepted and shot the missile in mid-air before pursuing the craft.

"I can't let them win…" I said to myself, taking a slow, heavy breath. I did not hold back for even a fraction of a second as my cannons locked on and disfigured the craft beyond all recognition. I thought I even saw a mixture of blood and oil raining down alongside the shattered pieces of metal and glass.

"The Valkyrie's influence runs stronger than I thought it would," Zoe commented to her remaining squadmates. "But they're fighting for nothing. Only death and chaos are absolute."

"Does this bitch get inspiration from nü-metal lyrics?" Sera questioned in a deadpan tone.

"This is Monkey! I've been shot down! Ejecting Power Bomb."

"Hang tight, Monkey," Nolo said.

"We've got your back, man," Shirako said in a casual manner.

* * *

_Mitchell "Monkey" McClurg_

As Power Bomb fell below a thousand feet, I released the parachute, which had the stylized M logo in black.

As I looked to my left, I saw a Drone craft about to crash into me and I screamed.

Nolo launched a missile at the Drone and shot him down, forcing him to descend. I watched as the top of the downed craft traded paint with the front end of my car, removing the front bumper.

"How am I still _alive_ after all this?" I questioned myself.

"Shirako, you've got a Drone on your—" Nolo shouted before an energy bomb hit Shirako's rear engine.

Bassline bailed out of its Ognaesson shell and used the jump jets to cushion its fall onto the track.

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

"Straussberg! We've lost nearly all the deck cannons, and we've spotted Silencerz heading for the bridge! We need to evacuate!" a crew member advised.

It was happening.

The end of the Drone regime had begun.

I stood dumbfounded as I saw camera footage of the humans fighting with such unbreakable tenacity.

Such unbreakable will.

"We are still just humans," I mumbled indistinctly. As my hands began shaking again, I finally realized that the marriage between humanity and the Drones' technology could never supplement both halves.

"Straussberg?"

"Where are they?" I asked.

"East side next to Hangar 18."

"Take the west corridors and evacuate through Hangars 19-36," I ordered monotonously. "The Hammer is lost."

* * *

_Taro Kitano_

The face of a light Drone hovered above me as I lay on my back. Immediately, I grabbed his head and tore it off. The Drone's body fell on top of me.

"Barbaric," I said to myself with disgust as I tossed the head, sparking at its stump, aside.

"Taro, can you hear me?" Tork radioed.

"Loud and clear," I responded as I pushed the Drone away.

"We cloaked our vehicles. We're coming to get you."

* * *

_Mark Wylde_

Trying to use our plows to clear the wreckage would be too dangerous; we needed to find our way around. Tork and I grabbed our X6 shotguns from our cars while Porkchop armed himself with a Y2A3 rail gun.

"We've got Drones at our 2 o'clock," Tork said as he threw five pellets of liquid metal, forming five-foot walls for cover.

"Edged Weapon Expert moving in!" Tork shouted.

"Wylde, he's going for you!" Porkchop warned.

"Traitor! You should've stayed here!" the Drone shouted at me as he was about to swing his chainsaw blade before I twisted his arms, embedding the blade onto his shoulder.

"Not a fan," I replied as I lifted him in the air and threw him to a wall twenty feet away from me.

Porkchop grabbed a Drone that was running towards the team and headbutted him, cracking his metal head. He then threw him at the shooting Drones, forcing them to stagger.

"Damn, gun's jammed," Tork said, looking at his shotgun before throwing it like a boomerang at the head of another Drone. "Head for that hallway," he said to us as he began moving, tossing a Drone on the header without even turning his head and taking his rail gun.

* * *

_Taro Kitano_

I locked blades with another Drone, then slid my blade down and severed both of his hands. The Drone – not a Hybrid, but a full-metal soldier – stared at me before running like a lost child.

_Huh… never thought I'd see that._

I put my sword back in the sheath and grabbed my pistol as Drones, armed with railguns and shields, rushed across the hallway. I took cover behind a corner as they began firing.

"Gridlocked," I said to myself.

A Drone threw a grenade at my toes and I quickly grabbed it and tossed it back to the enemies above the shields' reach. Staggered, I found an opening and ran towards them while shooting two down before skidding to the closest shield a fallen Drone dropped, holding it as they resumed shooting.

_This thing can take a lot of punishment,_ I thought as I slowly inched my way towards the Drones, barely flinching as the Drones were shooting my shield.

Suddenly, a Drone flew across one of the corners, knocking down the squad shooting at me. Tork, Porkchop, and Wylde walked in.

"Need a lift back?" Tork asked.

"If the Drones haven't gotten to our cars yet," I replied.

* * *

_Mitchell "Monkey" McClurg_

Power Bomb landed on the track on its side before toppling upside down.

"Ugh, just my luck," I said, annoyed.

Two Light Drones stopped and got out of their cars, arming themselves with chainsaw swords. Shirako intercepted the one behind, kicking him in the chest while launching another kick in mid-air at his chin.

"Look," I said to the other Drone as I got out of my car. "I know being a Hybrid sounds cool and stuff, but…" As the Drone swung with his chainsaw sword, I jumped over his horizontal sweep, then I kicked his arm, forcing him to release his blade. I then elbowed him in the neck, and he fell like a poorly posed action figure.

_Thank god for Esmerelda's training._

"Whoa." Shirako stood agape before he smiled and nodded. "Nice moves, Monkey."

"Can someone help me turn my car over?" I requested over the radio before I saw Tono, Bart, and Griffin one-hundred yards away from me.

"This is Lieutenant Serpa. We disabled the jamming device and are making our way to the bridge," Serpa radioed. "Shite! It's a bloody ambush!"

* * *

_San Jay Khan_

"Schroder is down," Maximo said as one of our men fell with a gunshot wound to the head.

"Press on! The bridge is not far from here!" Finn shouted.

Resistance was heavy. Our liquid metal walls were enough to take on even .50 caliber sniper bullets, but the Drones had multiple flank points above, left, and right of all of us. At times, we had to fire at all angles.

"Parker is down!"

As I continued firing, the back of my railgun began smoking. "Core's fried!" I shouted as I dispensed the smoldering cylindrical battery.

"Khan, take this!" Finn shouted as he tossed me a spare core for my railgun. "Make it count!"

"There's too many of—" Maximo fell back as a Drone shot him at the top of his shoulder, leaving a small, but nasty red graze.

"Maximo!" I shouted as I crouched down and dragged my teammate to cover.

"Merda…" he groaned.

* * *

_Taro Kitano_

"Get to the cars!" Tork shouted as he ran for Hollowback in the hangar.

Suddenly, a squadron of foot Drones ran out of the wreckage and began firing. "SHIT! AMBUSH!" Porkchop screamed as we ran for cover.

"Great! Now what are we going to do?" Wylde shouted.

The Drones' firepower was as voluminous as a drummer blast-beating his way through a technical death metal song. I felt like even if I popped even an inch of my head over cover, it would all be over. I could even have my arm shot off trying to throw a grenade.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"I'm hit!" Rainer shouted as his Ognaesson, shot by the Svart team, began trailing flames.

"Bail out," Sorenson ordered. "That's an order. Sera, intercept the Drones tailing Captain Eiss."

"Shit!" Sera shouted as a missile hit his craft.

"Great, even these guys are going down," Karma said frustratedly.

She flew towards me, firing head-on at the two Drones on my tail, forcing them to break off. I immediately turned to one of the Svart planes and began tailing him while Karma and Sorenson pursued the other.

"It's only because of the Raven that you fight, Valkyrie," Zoe taunted. "What will you gain when you destroy everything?"

"Relief from a bitch like you," I said.

"You are just another tyrant, reveling in the suffering of others," Zoe said. "Your purpose is null while death lays her mark on you and those you love."

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

"Straussberg, you're Oh-Nine has boarded on a Strato-Thruster," one of my two guards said as I made my way to one of the east hangars.

"Get to your craft," I told the rest of my guards.

"Are we to support the Svart Squadron?" the other guard asked.

"It's a lost cause," I replied forlornly. "We've already lost this war."

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"And you're no different," Vert responded to Zoe.

"And you are right," Zoe said.

The gray contrails Karma, Sorenson, and the Svart Drone they were chasing looked like a Jackson Pollock canvas. The Svart plane moved in patterns that were as erratic and amorphous as a John Cage composition; Karma and Sorenson would be fine arts scholars, graduating as valedictorian and salutatorian for following him so closely.

Karma waited for the Drone to slip up in their technique. The Drone went for me and focused their fire leaving them flying too straight before Sorenson launched a missile, damaging the engine. Karma continued pursuing the downed Drone, firing her cannons and blasting them to fiery chemicals.

Vert took a light hit on his right wing; despite maneuvering as best as he could, he could only perform a smaller percentage of an attempt with the damage inflicted.

"Karma, Sorenson, focus on the Drones on my tail. Vert, I've got your six o'clock," I said as I began my pursuit. Karma and Sorenson began shooting at the two Drones behind, forcing them to break off.

"I hate flying," Vert whispered to himself as his Ognaesson took a couple more light hits. I zoomed on his pursuer's tail and released a Nitrox 3 missile. While I knew the Svart plane could easily avoid it, once it got close to him, I used the remote detonator, creating a volatile shockwave that nudged the craft out of control.

"Damn. My Strato-Thruster's been damaged internally."

I smiled, firing another volley of lasers, sending him falling like a flaming meteor.

Suddenly, I felt a shockwave behind me and saw smoke fuming out of my engine. "Fuck!"

"I'll drag you down with us," Zoe said as she began firing at me.

"Maila!" Karma zoomed behind Zoe's tail and began shooting at her. The former air force pilot looped upwards towards Karma's tail and shot a missile at her craft.

"NO!" I shouted.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"Dammit!" I yelled as I punched the dashboard.

"Now it's your turn, Valkyrie," Zoe said as she shot Maila's damaged craft with a missile.

Vert attempted to pursue Zoe, only for her wingmate to easily shoot him down. Sorenson was able to shoot the craft, but not before Zoe destroyed his as well, charging head on and firing a barrage of energy balls at him.

"Alas, nothing but death is all you shall receive," Zoe taunted us.

"Not just yet," Maila gritted as she launched Octainium out of her burning Ognaesson and shot an EMP laser at Zoe's craft.

I detached Chicane, catapulting it in the direction of a hangar bay and using the jump jets to cushion the landing.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

Vert, Sorenson, and I landed safely onto the green track. Thank the Scrim corporation for coming up with jump jet tech. And thank Dr. Tezla for having piss-poor security.

I took my time to breathe slowly. "Vert, you alright?"

"As fine as you are, Mai," Vert sighed wearily.

"At least that's curtains for that bitch-of-a Drone," Sorenson said as we began moving.

Suddenly, we saw three of the Svart vehicles jumping off a ramp onto our track.

"Oh, come on!" Vert shouted in a pained manner.

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_

"Initiate hover jets," I ordered my two wingmen as we began floating off the ground.

"Raven moving in!" one of the Drones shouted as the younger Eiss's signature blue sports car landed inside.

Then I realized that our craft were too bunched up, and I already predicted the consequences.

The Raven shot a laser at one of my wingmen, forcing him to crash and explode on a nearby wall. The shrapnel from the explosion clipped my Strato-Thruster's wings, which also clipped my other wingmate as well as we fell from the ground.

My Oh-Nine toppled off the craft, landing upside-down while the blue car drifted under us.

* * *

_San Jay Khan_

Two Drones fell off the left balcony covered in slash marks. Two grenades were thrown at the Drones in front of us while the right balcony was blown by another grenade.

The area cleared up in mere seconds.

"Good work, people," Finn said.

"That… that wasn't us," I said.

The last thing I saw were four Hybrids on the balcony, including one with long blonde hair tied to a ponytail.

"Who are they?" Raffa questioned as the Drones moved forward to the next sector. We heard the sound of metal clanking and lasers blasting just seconds afterwards, followed by an explosion.

"Well, if they're friendly, let's return the favor," I suggested as we made our way to the next room. "Maximo, can you move?"

"I'm good," he replied as he stood up. "Just a shallow graze."

"Khan, Maximo, breach and clear!" Finn ordered as he kicked the door open. As we rushed to cover, all we encountered was a room of dead Drones.

"Looks like our job's gotten a lot easier," one of the American operatives said.

* * *

_Taro Kitano_

A grenade made contact with one of the Drones, sending him flying out of the hangar doors in burning pieces. Another grenade landed near two other Drones, obliterating them into scrap.

"I've got your back!" Harrison Lau walked out of one of the hallways, dropping his empty grenade launcher, then he picked up a railgun and began shooting at his own kind. Three other Drones followed suit.

"Nice to see you again," I said stoically. "How'd you get on here?"

"Short version: Stowed away during the Hammer's last maintenance session," he shouted as he took cover.

"Is Kadeem with you?" I asked.

"He's still at our safehouse," Harrison replied. "A friend of ours is watching him. Too unstable to bring this Hammer down."

"Are you with any other rogue Drones?" I questioned.

"Just eight of us," Harrison replied.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

I stopped my car to observe the wreckage I caused.

"Sis, I still have you on my radar," Maila radioed. "You alright?"

"Never better," I replied.

A female Racing Drone emerged out of the wreckage of her G-class.

I got out of my car and armed myself with my chainsaw katana.

She scrambled on the ground and picked up a nearby chainsaw blade from the wreckage of another vehicle. She barely looked like she was primed for a fight. Her stance was clumsy, her face looked tired and melancholic, and she held the sword like it weighed ten times heavier than it actually did.

"You… you need to fall," she said. That was the same voice that taunted us in the Canyon Realm, but it had less conviction and felt desperate and forlorn.

"So, you're Kendra Straussberg…"

Maila would just cut her head off or run her over without any doubts. Knowing she was the one commanding this cruiser, Maila would probably be especially gleeful if I chose to kill her right here. And it would be justified, not just for revenge, but considering her importance, she could be driving in the Realms once we destroyed the Hammer. It would easily be one less Elite to worry about. Perhaps bring some psychological warfare, knowing that I, the Raven, had slaughtered the captain of the Hammer in a ruthless manner without the need for Maila.

But I thought otherwise.

* * *

**KILL RECORDS**

Jodie Carpenter  
Callsign: Svart 8  
Status: Killed by Karma Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: No details in the Racing Drones' databanks could be found on Jodie Carpenter following the erasure of documentation of the Svart Squadron. The City of London Police raided the home of Zoe Mordstrom on 25/12/2022 and found traces of Carpenter's DNA on various items and possessions. Implications that Mordstrom had contacts with the other members of Svart Squadron before transformation have become more probable.

Jake Sinclair  
Callsign: Svart 4  
Status: Missing in action, defeated by Karma Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Due to the purging of documents surrounding the Svart Squadron as well as the probable falsification of his identity, nothing can be found on Jake Sinclair. However, prior to being shot down by the Silencerz, he was last seen near the former Jungle Leg. It is implied he has stolen various pieces of technology from the site.


	20. Another Uneasy Victory

_20: Another Uneasy Victory_  
_Ten miles North of the Hammer's Hangar, formerly Highway 35's Desert Leg_  
 _Ian Sorenson_

"Team Odin, report in," I radioed.

"Sera standing by."

"Maki on standby."

"Rainer standing by."

"If you see any other surviving members of that enemy squadron, slot them on sight," I ordered coldly.

"Roger that, Captain," Rainer replied.

I rammed one of the Svart Drones by the left rear wheel, forcing him to spin out of control. The bumper of my Octainium then rammed into the side. The tires on the Drone's car were smoking as he was forced to skid across the track. Finally, I launched a continuous flurry of EMP blasts obliterated the Drone's car piece by piece, forcefully ejecting the driver out onto the track.

"Kill…" I did not even lift the gas pedal as a fraction of a centimeter when I felt all four wheels bumping around the Drone. "…Confirmed."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

I tried to pass one of the two remaining Svart Drones in an attempt to ram him out of control, but he kept blocking me off.

"Come on," I gritted.

"Why do you bother fighting against us?" the Drone said in a Spaniard accent. "Nothing will you gain from letting your Valkyrie behead Annette."

"I can't let you take over," I said.

"You humans thrive in violence and chaos," he replied.

"Vert, don't buy his bullshit," Maila said to me while she was chasing Zoe. "They'll ruin you and everyone you love if you do."

She was right. There was no time to ponder what Zoe and the other Svart Drone was saying; no time to question our own actions when the Drones are firing at us. All I needed to do was drive.

Drive to survive.

The targeting monitor on my HUD locked onto the Drone, and I quickly fired a blue EMP burst from my car. As I passed the Drone car, Sorenson then rammed him off the track, forcing him to collide with an oil rig.

"Alright, looks like we have one more to deal with," I said.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"For someone who has a death wish, you just won't die," I said to Zoe.

"I seek to enlighten you of the meaninglessness of all this chaos," she replied. "The modern world is at fault for failing to overcome the cruelty of humanity's depraved past. And you are the embodiment of their decadent ways." She rammed into me, nearly knocking me off the track. The right windshield shattered with fragments flying towards me.

"You're just another blindly loyal fool for following Annette," I said.

"You do not know our true affiliation, Eiss."

I raised one eyebrow.

"Annette is still part of humanity," Zoe said. "We all are. We never learned to overcome our hubris. Our deaths will guarantee Annette's ruin. Death is paradise, living is hell."

"It's time _you_ find paradise," I grunted bitterly as I turned on the Metro Realm Accelecharger, made a sharp turn, and rammed her off the track.

Zoe's vehicle landed on another track below; Vert, Sorenson, and I followed suit. "You know you can't be relying on your toys forever. You're afraid, aren't you?"

"Accelecharger stress levels at 40%," my onboard computer stated.

"I've already signed my death warrant," I said coldly as I tapped my metal fingers on the wheel.

"But she has not," Zoe responded.

I started fuming to the point where each breath might as well elicit smoke. My mechanical heart would be the refinery. _Karma…_

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"Your kind destroyed my home," Straussberg shouted wearily. Tears were nearly falling from her eyes, and I had a feeling she did not want to fight, even if it meant a chance to kill me.

To kill Maila's ultimate reason for fighting the Drones.

She swung at me at a sluggish speed, which I easily blocked off. I didn't need to use much effort to block her strikes. I could even take advantage of several glaring openings and end this fight (and her life), but she posed as much of a threat as a drunken bar patron. Her strikes were far too predictable, and I would have pitied her if Maila showed up and murdered her like this. At worst, she could only leave very minor burns from the sparks our chainsaw blades flickered.

"I lost my husband and two sons…" she cried. "Mother, Father… my family…! You and your sister are just like them!"

"You're a tyrant," I retorted bitterly. "And tyrants need to be stopped."

"Humans don't know what they want," Straussberg tried to argue half-heartedly. "They need to be set where they belong!"

"That's enough," I almost whispered solemnly as I swung my blade at both of her hands, severing them clean off. Straussberg's chainsaw blade deactivated and fell near the wreckage. I then went for her upper knees, sawing them clean off with one swipe.

I lay my blade near her neck after she fell face-first on the floor. The Micro Realm Accelecharger fell to the floor from her black uniform. The blond captain looked at me with such a fearful expression; her eyes were even watering.

* * *

_Taro Kitano_

As the final Drone fell from a railgun blow to the head, courtesy of Porkchop, Harrison announced, "We're clear for now."

"All units, this is Karma," the younger Eiss radioed. "Straussberg's subdued."

"I'm getting something on the radio," one of the rogue Hybrids reported as he tapped on his earpiece. "We've got Drones headed to Straussberg's location. Hangar 36."

"Alright, let's roll," Harrison said to the other rogue Drones.

"They may need help," I said to Tork as they dashed into the hallways.

"We're with you," Porkchop supported.

"Welded," Tork added while Wylde nodded.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"You've won this war," Straussberg said in a despondent tone, not even bothering to scrabble her delimbed body away from me. "The Hammer was our joker, and you've skewered her. We have nothing left for you…"

"We'll know it's over when Annette is gone," I said as I grabbed the Accelecharger.

"Your sister is an unfeeling animal," Straussberg spat. "How could you align yourself with her?"

I sighed. "Had we gone in the Realms without Maila, we would be defeated. Annette may be more of a threat than Gelorum, but she also created a greater weakness."

"I know… but why do you still fight with her? You and Maila could have lived in peace."

I looked at the palm of my gloved left hand. "Gelorum deceived her. Made her become a Hybrid out of a lie."

"It was never a lie," Straussberg retorted. "It was for a better future! A superior world! You could be better than you really are! A perfect being in two perfect worlds!"

I fidgeted my fingers, cracking each knuckle one-at-a-time. "I was told the Drones were perfect. After Taro and I defeated one of your elite squadrons, I knew that was not the case."

Behind me, I heard the sound of metal marching. I grabbed a few pellets of liquid metal from my jacket pocket and threw them across the room, creating a small four-foot fort around us. I then grabbed a small, pear-sized remote from another pocket, which had Chicane self-drive into a corner. I pulled out my pistol and pointed towards the hallway entrance.

"Better not pull anything," I told Straussberg.

"I'm literally unarmed," she spat back in an irritated tone.

The sounds shifted from metal stomping to grinding and shattering. Then, I heard the faint sound of a baritone voice screaming "PORKCHOP!" before four Drones flew out of the corner and landed forty-meters from my fort.

I smiled and put my gun down as Tork, Porkchop, Wylde, and Taro ran into the room.

"Taro…" I immediately ran and quickly embraced him in my arms. "Glad you're safe."

"Seems like you caused a disaster here," Taro said, as we looked over the fiery wreckage of three Drone planes.

I looked in front of me and saw four Drones marching towards us. "Taro—"

"They're on our side," Tork assured.

I felt relieved, especially when I saw Harrison Lau's face once more among the Drone squad.

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

"Accelecharger stress levels at 85%..."

"Ugh…" I removed my Accelecharger and began firing my EMP bursts at Zoe. The black-clad Drone was just as skilled at evading my attacks on the ground as she was in the air.

Zoe then released a dozen anti-vehicle mines from the back of her car, locking their dagger-sharp feet onto the track with antennas sticking out.

"SHIT!" I quickly activated my jump jets, but the purple fumes flew dangerously close to one of the closest mine, detonating and forcing me to flip over, tumbling across the track. Glass and pieces of Octainium's body flew all around me as the mines detonated where my car hit them.

Octainium fell off the track onto another track below. I spat blood onto my steering wheel and felt my torso stinging from the shrapnel wounds while my head felt like it was looping like the racetracks.

"Maila, are you alright?!" Vert questioned in a slightly panicked tone as he stopped above me while Sorenson kept pursuit.

"Don't worry about me, Vert. Get that Drone!" I ordered as I pressed on a button on my dash.

"You look hurt," Vert said. "Let me get you back to the base—"

"Zoe Mordstrom must fall," I said sternly. Octainium split into two and the liquid metal slowly began to reshape into two Magnesium motorcycles.

"Come on, Wheeler," Sorenson radioed. "Let's hunt that bitch down."

"Fine," Vert sighed hesitantly.

I grabbed a pellet of liquid metal with my left hand and crushed it, shaping itself into a silver-white spear. I positioned it next to my left handlebar and began accelerating.

A hologram of myself formed around the other Magnesium. I rendered myself invisible while the clone sped off.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

Even with our constant firepower, Zoe was downright untouchable. She did not even slow down by even a hair while drifting away from our firing paths.

"Fall, dammit," I said frustratedly.

I looked further from Zoe and saw Maila about to ram into her, pointing her spear towards her enemy.

"Come on, Eiss," Sorenson said impatiently.

Zoe charged a volley of energy bombs and launched them towards Maila. "Goodnight, Eiss…"

Maila easily dodged the first two bombs. She was forced to skid under the third blast, leaving a wide opening for Zoe's fourth bomb.

Magnesium exploded white fire upon impact.

"No!" I screamed as the burning remains of her motorcycle flew over me. I could feel my hands throbbing on my rectangular steering wheel.

"Rest assured, Wheeler," Zoe said calmly, "your Valkyrie is now in paradise."

I then heard a feminine chuckle that I had grown far too familiar with. "It's time for you to rest, now," she whispered.

The real Maila materialized out of thin air about to collide head-on. Her spear penetrated through Zoe's windshield while the collision between the two vehicles propelled her off her motorcycle, forcefully ejecting Zoe out of her car and sending the two flying in mid-air.

The spear barely missed Zoe, only grazing her right side. Maila grabbed Zoe, using her body to cushion the five-story fall.

Zoe landed first while Maila rolled onto the sand, motionless.

My heart raced faster than our cars drove as the two plummeted on the sand.

"Maila!" I screamed as I slammed on the brakes, flung my door open, and dashed out, nearly tripping on the sand at one point.

The elder Eiss lay on her back, her bloodied head tilted to the right and her eyes staring blankly towards the horizon.

"No…" I rushed to her side, holding onto the back of her head with one hand softly slapping her cheek with the other. "Maila, speak to me."

A gloved hand firmly gripped my wrist, and Maila's eyes opened. "Still caring for monsters like me, aren't you?" she chuckled.

"Maila, I really thought you could've…" I said, nearly breathless.

"Died?"

"Well, yeah."

Maila smiled. "I've had worse."

"Let me help you up." I grabbed her right arm and swiped it over my neck.

"You don't need to," Maila said before we started walking back towards Power Rage.

"So much sympathy for the devil," Zoe said.

Maila immediately shifted her head towards her enemy, laying tattered and torn.

"You two really are going to drive these two worlds to hell," Zoe said.

Maila shook off my hand and began marching with heavy footsteps. "It's time for you to shut up."

"Maila," I said as I touched her shoulder. "She's beaten. You don't need to kill her."

"You saw what she did to us," the elder Eiss responded. "I can't risk it."

Sorenson walked ahead of us towards the wounded Zoe. He then took out a syringe from his belt and injected it into her neck. "I'm take her to the ESF base," he said coldly. "She knows too much to be killed."

"Doubt you'll get anything out of her," Maila said.

"You remember Osseri?" Sorenson asked her as he began dragging Zoe by her amber brown hair. "She'll break; everyone breaks."

Maila swallowed hard. "Just kill her when you're done." She sounded much more remorseful and distant.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"Jari?" Harrison radioed from his earpiece. "Yes. Of course." He then turned to us. "Another resistance squad just reported that your boys are just one room away from the bridge."

I took a look to see Straussberg behind the liquid metal fort looking disheartened by the news.

"We'll be taking her to our hideaway," Harrison announced as one Drone walked towards her before carrying her on his back. "This is where we must part again."

"I want to know something," Taro said. "You've lost everything after you became Hybrids. Why do you still fight?"

I looked at Wylde, who was fidgeting his mechanical fingers.

"When Annette's gone, we need a home," Harrison replied. "I know you intend to bombard this area."

"So, you're telling us not to destroy the ground facilities?" Tork questioned.

"We can always rebuild," one of the rebel Drones said. "We can't stop you from destroying this place, but we know you are going to be instrumental to our freedom."

"Until we meet again, Taro," Harrison said before his squad walked back into the hallway.

"Wait, Harrison," I called. "Before you go, I want Maila to meet you."

Harrison looked down. "If we even try to contact her, she will kill us on sight. We can't risk it, especially now, sorry to say."

I looked at my left palm again, then I imagined myself in Maila's position. To our world, she was dead. News outlets would make a sensation out of her return to the living world. And unless Earth's technology had advanced enough to make prosthetics and artificial organs of the same quality as her's, she could never show herself in public ever again.

Would she be able to find a home with the Drones? What would they think of her? Would they try her for all the war crimes she committed?

And what about Wylde's predicament? Would he find a home with them? What would Kurt think?

* * *

_San Jay Khan_

"Khan, Maximo, breach and clear," Finn ordered.

I planted a breaching charge on the door to the bridge and positioned myself to the left side while Finn and Maximo took the right. I detonated the charges, obliterating the door, and we charged in to see… a room full of dead Drones.

"This is Serpa. We have secured the bridge; however, we noticed that someone else besides us engaged the Drones," Finn reported on the radio. "The bridge crew got slaughtered before we came here."

"This is Tork Maddox. I can confirm that there have been some rogue Drones in this cruiser. Apparently, a squad of them took out some of the Drones for you."

"Guess the Yanks weren't kidding when they encountered Harrison in the Chrome Realm," Finn said.

"Serpa, get your team to take control of the cannons," Maila ordered. "I want no quarter. Destroy it all."

"You heard the lady!" Finn shouted. "Take out these facilities!"

It slightly pained my heart to see us blowing remnants of Highway 35 away, but I knew it had to be done.

The Northern and Southern U.S. Divisions mentioned how Kadeem was practically a different person when he transformed. And that was what happened to Highway 35. A sad way to end things.

A part of me hoped it could be restored someday when the Drones would no longer be in control.

The same part that hoped Kadeem would return to his former self, even though he cannot return to his family.

The first run of bombs launched.

Facilities explode.

* * *

_Fifty miles north of the combat zone  
Einar Johansen_

Heather, Tom, and I were sent to reinforce the Drones defending the Hammer. Annette initially attempted to scramble Strato-Thrusters, but we were delayed after one Drone crash-landed on take-off. It was suspected the Drone deliberately crashed after seeing explosives in the RD-04, forcing a further delay for all air units.

"Einar, look at the broadcast," Heather said.

I turned on one of my monitors to see the various facilities engulfed in flames. The Hammer continued raining and raining green energy bombs across the fields, decimating anything that was green and black. Green and black glass scattered across the fields where their materials originated while oil darkened the already dampened sand.

"How is Annette going to get us through _this_?" Tom questioned.

"She can't," I said emotionlessly. I looked at the etchings of Karma Eiss and Taro Kitano on a small piece of glass.

* * *

_Racing Drones' HQ  
Alina LeBlanc_

Anna and I watched the broadcast through her Oh-Nine's monitor.

"I can't watch anymore," I told her despondently as I walked out of the car.

* * *

_Dimitri Harkov_

One of the recruits assigned to my squadron stopped in the midst of our training session as he stared at one of the monitors on the buildings. I questioned to myself, _If the Valkyrie could lead the humans to do this much damage, why couldn't our own forces do the same?_

I could not do anything due to Rød Squadron's near-constant turnover and training sessions.

* * *

_Kendra Straussberg_  
  
I sat in the passenger's seat of Harrison's Oh-Nine, watching as everything we had built turn to irrepairable scrap.

"I hate what the humans are doing, what Maila's doing too," Harrison said to me. "This is needless, but I'd rather see us live anew without Annette."

"All I know is that nothing will ever change," I said. "Jake... Donovan... Damien... I'm so sorry."

* * *

_Brian Kadeem_

A female rogue Drone held a glass-like tablet next to me. "Brian, I hope this is a wake-up call."

"It's propaganda," I said not even a second after she finished.

The rogue Drone shook her head, then, she tapped on her earpiece. "Harrison, this is Yumi. I read you. Yes? That's great news." She turned to me. "If you're not going to believe this happened, Straussberg will tell you."

* * *

_The Hammer's Hangar  
Michael Rush_

"Rush, we can't stay here!" Daniels said as the shockwaves shook the ground. Pieces of the ceiling began raining down upon us.

"There are still empty seats on our Retrievers!"

"We have to get out of here, now!" Daniels advised urgently. "The rest of the Hybrids will have to get themselves out of this."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

Maila looked through Power Rage's window as the bombs obliterated the facilities to fiery yellow embers. She closed her eyes and smiled. "One step closer until Annette's head is on a plate." She turned her sight towards me. "You did well, kid."

"Hopefully, the next elite squadron won't cause us _that_ much trouble," I said exhaustedly.

"Vert, I know it's been uneasy, but it had to be done."

"I know, Mai. It seems like you and the ESF have done some… terrible things in the past," I told her.

"In war, you _have_ to commit atrocities to win," Maila replied. "That's how the Soviets defeated Germany. That's how we've been successful in every op we've done."

"I can't imagine being an ESF operative," I told her.

"I know."

"Vert, this is Karma." Chicane trailed behind us. "We've just rescued Taro. Where's Maila?"

"Right in front of you, sis," Maila replied.

Karma drove by our right side; Taro was riding shotgun. "Found this when I was fighting Straussberg." She showed us the Micro Realm Accelecharger.

Maila smiled. "That's my girl."

"Maila, let's talk when we get back to base," Karma said.

"Sorenson, this is Rainer," Odin Team's lieutenant radioed. "We've confirmed two deaths for the Svart Drones, but we've found no traces of three of the other downed members. Must have fled the battlefield."

"We have their leader," Sorenson reported. "That's all we need."

The Hammer began steering down, diving headlong towards the giant half-dome hangar. The two Osmium transports flew out moments before a colossal explosion obliterated both the Hammer and the hangar. A blackened mushroom cloud rose in the wake.

"Holy shit!" Jet shouted.

"Goddamn," Krakatoa said.

"First the Sweepers, then wolves, then the Hammer," Monkey radioed, "what are they going to attack us with next?"

* * *

We knew this would be a turning point against the Drones. But I still felt pity as I observed the burning facilities.

Never had I thought being on the winning side would feel more uncomfortable than when we were on the losing side. It was not like a typical action show where the good guys always win.

If we could even be called the good guys.

All I knew was that this feeling would stay this way until the end of this bloody conflict.

Perhaps, even worse.

I looked at Maila as we drove on. Despite being apathetic to all the carnage she personally caused, I wondered if she ever felt the way we were feeling.

Never had I longed more for the days when we _raced_ on these tracks instead of fighting a large-scale battle on them.

Despite being closer to ending the Drone regime, I felt like we were also prolonging a new conflict.

* * *

**END OF ACT II**

* * *

**KILL RECORDS**

Zoe Mordstrom  
Callsign: Svart 1  
Status: Missing in action, defeated by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Thought to be a loyal Hybrid to Annette, the comm chatter during the Hammer assault proved otherwise, expressing disdain towards her. It is believed she is, at least, indirectly responsible for purging all data regarding the Svart Squadron; additionally, all records regarding Mordstrom in the British Royal Air Force have been purged as well. Further investigation is pending on any potential rogue Hybrid factions.

Luis Vasquez  
Callsign: Svart 2  
Status: Missing in action, defeated by Vert Wheeler and Ian Sorenson  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Details about Luis Vasquez are unknown due to the Svart Squadron records being erased. He was rumored to have boarded an RD-09 following the Hammer assault, but nothing is confirmed. Other members of Svart Squadron may have fled towards the same path in a probable effort to rebuild Svart Squadron, possibly to overthrow Annette if what Mordstrom's comms potentially indicate.

Viktor Radinsky  
Callsign: Svart 3  
Status: Killed by Ian Sorenson  
Vehicle: RD-10  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: Though details about Svart Squadron have been purged, Radinsky's last sighting on Earth was at a restaurant in Bristol, England, conversing with Zoe Mordstrom. He is confirmed to have connected with Mordstrom at least five years prior to them joining the Racing Drones. It is possible other members of Svart Squadron were personally hand-picked by Mordstrom or Radinsky to become Hybrids.


	21. Discontent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter may not be suited for those sensitive to:  
> Suicide  
> Domestic abuse  
> Loss of a child/children  
> If anyone has any suicidal/traumatic feelings, contact your friends, family, 911, a professional counselor, or your national hotline.
> 
> A/N: It's been 15 years and 1 day since World Race's Episode I premiered! Feels like yesterday that we saw the Surf Rat who just got his driver's license try to contest with the best of the best.
> 
> Also, this chapter will entirely be focused on the Drones' perspective. This was originally meant to have the humans' side but felt like the message between the two sides were different, so I decided to split it in two.

_An anonymous Hybrid_

Divided, the Drones stood, fraying from the loss of the Hammer. The direction the Drones had taken had led to a similar chaos the world we once inhabited was enraptured in.

How could Annette foolishly believe that we were superior to human society? She merely became the thing that made her join Gelorum in the first place. Everything she had fought for was all for naught, displacing humans into the same madness as before.

To think she tried to hide her surname from us to differenciate the culture she led from the Western world...

One may have the technology to change worlds, but as long as humanity demands hubris and egotism, conflict will remain. And the tragedies of this twisted story will always remind us of our humanity.

In the end, we go from paradise lost.

To paradise found.

* * *

**ACT III: Tragedies All Too Human**

* * *

_21: Discontent_  
_Racing Drones' HQ_  
 _Alina LeBlanc_

The televised image of the oil fields and the Hammer's base burned in my brain. The Hammer and her hangar were nothing but a giant, fiery wreckage at the center of the entire flaming oil field. It looked as if a meteor hit the area.

There was an ominous calm throughout the tracks. The sky was clear blue, as if we were still on Earth. Wind was absent as I stepped outside. Very few vehicles were driving on these tracks.

There was a silence that was deafening.

I could smell the vomit that came out of my mouth and every cell in my brain flicker.

I processed the sound of ten gunshots.

A wife on the phone, screaming, _you've got to get over here,_ to a couple of bystanders. _My husband's dying!_

The sound of police sirens and two rotary engines revving.

I shifted out of my trance as I heard an explosion a quarter-mile away from us.

"This is the third one for the last six hours…" Anna stepped out and put her arm across my back to my side.

"Merde…" I whimpered.

"Alina…"

"I… I just don't know what to do anymore. Everything Annette's tried… it's not enough. I feel like all we did was prolong the inevitable when we became Drones." I extended my mechanical arm forward.

"Look, we've been running all this time," Anna consoled.

"I wish you didn't run with me," I said. "You could have taught literature, but here you are… a Drone."

"Alina, you know I couldn't turn you in," Anna said as she wiped a tear from my face. "You've been through hell and back before I met you. I couldn't bear seeing you in prison."

"I just want all this to end," I said as I wrapped my arms around my lover. "Feels like tragedy always follows us with every step we take."

"Alina, Annette saved us. I'm grateful for this new life she gave us. If we kill the Valkyrie, we could finally be at peace," Anna said almost desperately as she brushed her hand across my hair. "Remember, love is our weapon. We're probably one of the only chances Annette has."

I nodded. "I guess it's kill or be killed."

* * *

_Einar Johansen_

Dimitri threw one of his Rød Squadron recruits, Andreas Scabbia, into a wall. "Get up and fight!" the Russian yelled. "You carry the Rød colors. You are of a superior race, yet you fight LIKE A HUMAN CHILD!" His tone was much angrier, not that it was much better before, as he kicked his squadmate in the abdomen.

Andreas attempted to punch his boss in the face, but the velocity of his attack was too slow and far to easy for Dimitri to intercept. "Why do you show weakness? Do you wish to remove toxicity of humanity from your veins?!"

"The humans just took out the Hammer and its facilities, and you think I'm weak after what just happened?" Andreas shouted.

"All the more reason for you to push yourself," Dimitri said as he inched his face closer to his comrade. "Would you rather be a part of an apathetic society that only cares for gratification and meaningless decadence? Or will you prove that you are nothing of that kind?" he questioned as he kicked him in the stomach.

"I _hate_ you…" As Dimitri walked over to kick Andreas again, the latter swung his feet and tripped Dimitri. Andreas then got up, grabbed Dimitri by his collar, then threw him angrily at his Oh-Nine.

"Only the hatred of humanity can unite our forces, comrade," Dimitri said. "We are above. The humans are below."

"This is… this is too much," Heather whispered to me in a disgusted tone.

Other Hybrids were watching the monitors on the buildings as they began broadcasting Annette's speech in the wake of the destruction of the Hammer.

"My people," she began in a stilted manner. "It-it is with great sorrow that we've lost one of our most important weapons…" She looked nervous and unfocused, as if she was a desk worker flinging open file cabinets and tossing around papers to find the right files. "B-but we cannot afford to let the four drivers continue on the tyrannical legacy of humanity." Her breaths in between could easily be heard, as if she was suffering from asthma, even though a Hybrid's lungs were supposed to be mechanical. "We will be shifting focus on the Ragnarok program. Our most elite forces have contested against those drivers. Once we have the Valkyrie's head on a platter, it will be checkmate for humanity. Hail Gelorum."

Even her signature praise to our former leader felt forced, almost slurring through those four syllables.

Cries of "Hail Gelorum" across the city were much weaker and unenthusiastic than months ago. Only Dimitri's cheer remained as strong as it was; the other members of Rød Squadron felt like it was more obligatory than believing in a future.

"What a bloody joke," one of the Drones muttered.

"The more I hear her stupid voice… makes me want to shank that bitch."

I sighed with much contempt as we walked away and walked towards our cars. "How can anyone keep on fighting after what just happened?" Tom questioned.

"How can we even stay loyal with Dimitri and Annette running this shitshow?" I questioned. "We've been losing each battle left-and-right; how can anyone fight like this at this point? Svart Squadron were members of the Ragnarok program for God's sake!"

Heather snickered quietly.

"What?" I asked calmly, raising an eyebrow.

"If Annette heard you say God's name, she'd be fuming," Heather explained.

"I'll say this," I said with a cynical tone. "I have _no_ faith in Annette. Claims she could wipe out our memories with the touch of a button, yet we saw Lindroos and Lau in the surveillance footage. She doomed the Drone army _from the start_ when she added human elements to the Drones."

"Are you suggesting…?"

I looked at the etchings of Karma and Taro again in my Oh-Nine. "You know what we have to do."

Heather and Tom nodded without hesitation.

* * *

_Unknown facility, formerly Highway 35's Volcano Leg  
Harrison Lau_

Ever since the Hammer was destroyed, more Hybrids were joining our forces. Jari proposed we would have to relocate our base of operations due to the volatile nature of the volcanoes. Within seven hours, about one-hundred of them fled to us.

"After they took me, all that I hoped for was to find my place here," one Hybrid sitting on a bench said to another. "Huh. Guess I'm still searching."

"I still miss her," another Hybrid crouching in one of the corridors said to his friend.

"Kennedy?"

"Yeah. I don't know what she'll think of me after all this…"

"I fell in love with a Hybrid shortly after the Valkyrie's attack," the other said. "The databanks said she died in the Chrome Realm, but I saw her body in the execution grounds."

I walked into the operating theater and saw Straussberg, who was laying on a medical table, getting her new limbs installed. I crouched down next to her left side.

"You don't need to comfort me," she said to me.

"Can't have you escaping," I informed.

Straussberg turned her head away and sighed. "Even if I tried, there's no point. We've lost this war the moment the Valkyrie showed herself."

"Things would have been different had we just lived as an isolated society," I responded. "Annette shot herself in the foot with her ambitions. Maybe she's right; humans are far from the saints they see themselves as. And I know Maila's one of the worst examples. If I was the Chancellor, I'd just let them die off than go to war."

Straussberg sat up once her limbs were attached to place. She fidgeted her mechanical hands, then looked at me.

"What I do know," I said, "is that we are much less different than we think. Annette's dream of a utopia is impossible."

"You were a member of Dimitri Harkov's squadron?" Straussberg asked.

"Yes."

"When I saw Harkov's training methods, I believed he was the model Drone for our utopia. I could never believe we would end up being fearful after Maila's first rampage. When I confronted her sister, I saw a calm, collected figure. Everything I wished the Drones would have been. Everything I wished my children would be."

I put my hand on Straussberg shoulder. "Dimitri's the reason I went rogue."

"I hope what you're doing is not a lost cause," Straussberg said quietly, almost at a despondent whisper as she stared at her hands.

"Kendra, I have a friend here that I'm sure you've met," I told her.

"It's Brian Kadeem, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Gelorum and Annette did a number on him. And he's a…" I looked down, remembering how I had disappointed my fellow World Race drivers upon being outed as a CLYP spy. "He's a friend."

* * *

_Brian Kadeem_

Jari walked into my cell, followed by the same female rogue Drone that accompanied me, carrying a hovering operating table.

"Brian," Jari said as his assistant unlocked me from my restraints and carried my body to the table. "Straussberg's here."

As the two Drones guided me through the hallways, I saw more and more Hybrids walking by, often chattering about their discontent with Annette.

"I heard Annette's last name is Christ. That's why she doesn't use it," one said.

"I heard she bombed that speech. I've heard better speeches from my high school commencement."

"I bet she's a worse driver than Gelorum."

"I heard a rumor that Annette was present in the memory banks the day Gelorum died. She must've killed her."

In the operating theater, I saw Kendra Straussberg sitting on the table with Harrison by his side.

"Congratulations, Brian," Harrison said. "You're finally getting your freewill back."

I watched as the machinery began detaching the remains of my severed limbs. Knowing that there were more rogue Hybrids patrolling this facility, it would not be surprising if they went on a manhunt for me if I escaped.

"What has become of our race?" I asked Straussberg. "How could any of these people betray Annette like this?"

Straussberg sighed. "We've lost because we are still human. We'll never change. Conflict will always brew as long as we have autonomy. I know you want your people to come to you, become Drones themselves. What's happening in your home is probably no different in this world."

"If only the Valkyrie didn't appear," I said bitterly, yet anxiously, breathing heavily as the machinery connected my right arm, which clenched a fist. "We were content, Straussberg. We had… we had a future!"

"I believed it too," Straussberg said. "But I can't deny it any further. I know you can't."

"Brian…" Harrison walked to my left side. "If you think you could lead your people as Drones, you are no better than Joseph Stalin or Adolf Hitler. They've tried what Annette tried. And they've failed for the reasons we've failed."

"I'm not like those tyrants," I said.

"Before they died, I used to beat my children," Straussberg said. "I wanted them to live up to the Straussberg bloodline and not live like the underclass outside of Luxembourg. I beat my trainees the way I beat Donovan and Damien. But even I was insecure if I could kill Maila or not. This is the path Annette took us, and we've lost this war because of it. I'm sure Maila had a different way… from what I saw from her sister."

Upon seeing Straussberg becoming humble for the first time since Annette introduced me to her, it felt like the world was going to explode. Just hearing Straussberg say that we had lost burned into my brain.

After the final limb connected to its stump, I did not bother sitting up I could have punched one of the Hybrids and ran off, but instead, I simply just looked at the volcanic landscape in the window. "I want Rana in my arms again…" I said weakly. "My people…" I looked at my newly-installed arms. "They'll rather die than see what I've become." I closed my hands and whispered, "a monster."

"I've talked to some of the people that fled to us," Jari said to me. "I've missed the trails of Helsinki. The camping trips to Lake Bodom with my friend, Markku. I know one Hybrid who's son was born in Lebanon. You're not the only one that wants to return to human life."

* * *

As I wandered the halls, I noticed that many of the rogue Hybrids were similarly venting their longing for their past lives.

"I was just about to race in the Grand Prix. They were about to set up a race in France. Such a beautiful country."

"I'm going to propose to Lau that we organize some group sessions."

"I wasn't able to meet my son in the hospital..."

_Will we truly be able to return to our old lives?_ I wondered.


	22. The Calm Between Two Storms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go with another entry in the Kurt Wylde Punching Bag Experience.

_22: The Calm Between Two Storms_  
_Silencerz HQ_  
 _Mark Wylde_

"I'm worried about him," Nolo said to me. "Just pains me to see one of our best drivers moping around like that."

"At least we saw Harrison again," I said. "I hope he'll be at least happy about that."

As we stopped by Room 36, Nolo knocked on the door three times. No answer.

"Probably arguing with Maila," I snarked.

"You've got to be kidding me!" That was Kurt screaming across the hallway.

"Kurt, you need to calm down," Lani's voice echoed in the same location.

"I hate that I'm right," I said to Nolo.

Moving closer, we saw him arguing with a wounded Maila; her forehead and (to a lesser extent, her) torso were still covered in dried blood. Lani was standing by Kurt, observing the two. "Y-you can't just have those murderous assholes going into the Realms!" Kurt shouted. "I mean, we seemed to be doing… doing okay until the Hammer showed up. Hasn't that been enough?"

"General Walker says otherwise," Maila replied solemnly. "If you're going to argue about this, argue with him, though I doubt he'll even listen."

Kurt's head tilted down. "Well, if you're closer to Walker than anyone in this base, at least tell him to have the ESF ease off. We don't need to be slaughtering those Drones when we already took out one of their most important bases and their cruiser."

Maila looked down on the ground for a few seconds before returning her gaze to Kurt. "You know, out of all the ESF operatives, I was the only one that questioned him. After the Turkish Civil War, he laughed at me when I saw my squad use our bio-weapons on a civilian. A civilian…" Maila paused to take a small breath and closed her eyes, "I _fell in love_ with." Her left fist was clenched as she looked down again before she walked toward her room and sighed stressfully. "This is reality, Kurt." she said before shutting the door.

Nolo and I approached Kurt, who just stood almost motionlessly like an android. "Kurt," I said.

"It just keeps on getting worse and worse by the minute," Kurt mumbled.

Nolo and Lani looked at each other; the Teku leader had that look that was both annoyed and solemn while the former Wave Ripper looked melancholic.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Kurt's Quarters  
Five minutes later_

_When Annette's gone, we need a home…_

Kurt sat on his bed, looking down on the ground and barely making eye contact with us as we explained our findings in the last operation.

"If Maila and those ESF soldiers keeping moving this fight the way it is," Kurt said pessimistically, "what Harrison said; it will never happen. They're just going to keep killing and killing."

"At least we know that Harrison is still alive," Nolo argued. "That will convince her to back down."

"I saw footage of Sorenson dragging that Hybrid woman by her hair," Kurt said, his tone becoming more disgusted. "At this point, I know that _nothing_ is going to get any better."

"If we go the way we are, we could still have the rogue Drones rebuild," I continued.

"We're probably fighting on the wrong side. If Maila and the ESF are willing to commit more of these heinous acts with this nihilistic hipster philosophy… imagine if they slaughtered Harrison. More bad is going to come out of this than good." Kurt took off his goggles and began massaging his temples. "I don't know what to do…"

"Kurt…" Lani approached him.

"You should have told us, Lani," Kurt said bitterly, to which Lani took a step back. "Instead of keeping us in the dark. I don't need your pity."

I looked at my mechanical hand again. I then pondered how my life turned upside down for the past two-and-a-half years. At least I could have made money street racing after prison, but after receiving this new prosthetic, I could not get back into society; possibly even any street racing scene. Ditto for the rogue Hybrids, even Maila, fighting against Annette.

I knew Kurt was debating about the situation much more than I was. At the same time, as much as I hated to admit it, I was afraid.

Afraid of what would happen if I chose to fight on the rogue Drones' side, at least at this moment. But also, what would happen if the world knew of the Drones? Especially in the wake of the kidnappings of other racers (which had died down in the last three months, thanks to us)?

"All we can do is wait," I said.

Kurt looked in the mirror. "And I feel like that's another wrong move. Maila doesn't give a damn about slaughtering people. She's more machine than a woman."

"Kurt, if you're going to be so cynical, you should have just returned to maintenance duty," Nolo said with a slightly bitter tone.

"Kurt…" Lani said. "Nolo has a point."

"The only thing that's stopped me from doing something stupid…" Kurt said before pausing to catch his breath, "is you, Markie." He looked at a photograph on the table with myself and Kurt two-and-a-half years ago, wearing our World Race attire and posing next to the spire at Hot Wheels City. "I've made so many mistakes in the past. Hell, I've probably making some terrible mistakes right now just letting this go as they are. It's like everything I do or don't is going to be a mistake." He looked at my mechanical arm and his eyes began to water. "It's my fault for getting you in prison. My fault the Drones captured you. I just don't know if what I'm doing is going to end up making everything worse."

"No," I responded as I fidgeted my fingers. "I brought this on myself."

"We should never have driven for Tezla again, yet here we are in another horrible situation." Kurt sighed.

I put my hand down and clenched my fist. "Things have become more complicated now. But what can we really do? We have little idea what's going on with both sides."

"Markie, I—"

"I know you're thinking of pulling something," I said. "Probably thinking of stopping Maila and those ESF guys. It's just that things might not go well if you act right now. That's what I mean when I say that we need to wait. Yes, things have been pretty awful, but…"

Kurt glared at me for a second.

"Kurt, we don't know if we're really doing something good, or something horrible," Lani said as she put her hand on my shoulder. "This is why I've had to sit out. Look, I know you've gone through a lot. Maybe it's best if you just sit out for the rest of these operations."

"And let my friends get captured?" Kurt said, his voice raised a couple notches.

"We've been perfectly fine, Kurt," Nolo replied. "I'll be honest, you'd probably be making things worse if you keep acting this way. I agree with Lani; you should just rest."

Kurt looked at me as I nodded in agreement with the other two. "You too, Markie?" he questioned.

"Kurt, we're worried for you," I said. "I can't see you going on like this…"

"Sooner than later, you're gonna have to stop enabling that bitch," Kurt said. He then turned to Nolo. "Unless you're too fond of having the original Teku leader back."

* * *

_Ten minutes later  
Nolo Pasaro_

Kurt's words burned into my brain as we walked back to the garage.

"I just wanted to punch him in the face," I admitted frustratedly. "This is the worst I've seen of him."

"I've seen something like this before," Lani said.

"What do you mean?" Wylde asked.

"After the World Race, I was diagnosed with PTSD," Lani said to me and Wylde. Knowing that she was nearly killed in the first leg, it was not a surprise. "I knew what I had to do when the Realms began, not knowing it made things ten times worse for me."

I remembered that during the Lava Realm, Lani was unusually silent, almost never communicating with us when we went in. She never told us about what happened to Dresden, Banjee, and Alec before we came until she told Kurt. Perhaps she was under a lot of pressure from Tezla, but a part of it could have been because she would have to relieve the traumatic experiences in the Warped Realm.

"All I know is that If Kurt keeps trudging through, even after we get through this, he'll be facing a lot of psychological damage. I can't see him going through it all anymore."

"I couldn't imagine kicking Kurt out of the Teku," I said. Even the Metal Maniacs would not do something like this, but if Wylde was suffering like his brother was, I would not doubt it if they did the same for his sake. "He needs us, but he's turning us down."

Lani put her hand on my forearm. "I'm getting Esmerelda and Krakatoa to keep watch on him. I don't think he can make it for another Realm." She then hurried across another hall.

I sighed harshly. "My team's falling apart," I said to Wylde.

"When I first raced with the Maniacs, I trashed Tork's car to win first place," Wylde admitted. "After everything, the Maniacs forgave me time and time again, even if nothing seemed to change… about me at least. What I'm saying is not to lose hope for Kurt. I'm sure he'll pull through."

I sighed again. "I'm trying to hope…"

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

I stood outside my room, looking at the same photograph. Markie seemed tenser towards me as he was before, and to see Nolo showing some animosity made me nearly tear up.

The bonds we shared were breaking again.

I had brought the Teku and the Metal Maniacs together when we rescued my brother. But now, it seemed like everyone was becoming much more distant towards me, even if they said they wanted to help me.

I could not help but feel like Maila's actions were corrupting them.

Forcing them to become complicit with the escalating madness of her and the ESF's onslaught.

Even if Karma chose to spare Straussberg for the rogue Hybrids to capture, I would not doubt it if she chose to join those sick, sadistic murderers just to be with her sister.

Dresden looked at me as he passed by. I did not bother to shift my gaze up as I still stared at the photo. Why even? It was not like I was going to become friendly with him or the other Street Breed members after being such a terrible, selfish leader who blew his chances when that deal blew up on his face.

I went back into my room and looked at myself in the mirror. I closed my eyes for a few seconds.

_This can't go on…_

Even if I had just took a rest, I knew that there were going to be more atrocities to come. Whether if the Drones take any of the other drivers or the ESF killing Drones that could have been great people.

The image of Gelorum, short-haired and black-clad, replaced my reflection.

 _There are some mistakes you can never escape,_ she said. _No matter if you tried to make amends to everyone you've wronged… the World Race drivers, your Street Breed teammates, your brother…_

I clenched my fist hard.

_No matter how much distance you've put from your past, what you have done will always be a part of you… Zed-36._

"Gelorum…" I whispered. "Shut up." I closed my eyes, and the image in the mirror returned to my own.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Lieutenant Colonel Wheeler's Quarters  
Vert Wheeler_

"Dad, I just want to know something," I told him.

My father's face sank down. "You're wondering about the ESF, aren't you?"

"Exactly," I said. "When I witnessed them on the battlefield, I just couldn't… couldn't help but wonder how could we be allies with them? Maila, I understand, but… I just feel even more unsettled with these guys."

Dad sighed and looked at the photograph of Mom, then at a photograph of all three of us together; I was nine years old at the time, piggybacking on my Mom's back while Dad stood in his military attire to our right.

"Years ago, I was offered a chance to become an ESF operative. I declined, since it meant not seeing you or Janet _ever again_ , not even when I'm off duty. When one becomes an ESF operative, they are declared dead to the world; unable to be liable for war crime charges. Walker always claims that everything they've done was for the greater good, but I knew I could not stomach performing their methods."

"Yeah, I'm sure what they are doing to Zoe is a good thing," I said with a cynical, sarcastic tone.

"Truth be told, I hate what General Walker's done with the Silencerz," Dad revealed. "Imprisoning people who merely witnessed us for the sake of secrecy… knowing that you and your friends would be forced to join us… it's just hair-pulling. Now that Walker is having the ESF drive in the Realms…" Dad sighed stressfully. "Subjecting you to witness these atrocities is the last thing I want… but Walker doesn't care."

"I know," I said softly, breathing out slowly. "What do you think about Maila? What she's been doing?"

Dad took another long breath. "She has her reasons for choosing to stick with us and not with Team Odin. All the other ESF operatives chose to join out of murderous desires. They have no families to return to or have any interest in returning to." Dad then looked at me.

"And Maila's the opposite of that," I filled in.

"Let me show you something."

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Maila's Quarters  
Karma Eiss_

I knocked on Maila's door three times.

"Hello?"

"It's me, sis."

"Come in," Maila said.

"Didn't see you in the infirmary," I told her as I opened the door and walked in. "How are your wounds?"

"They're nothing significant," Maila replied as I observed in the mirror the skin glue covering the cuts and abrasions on her forehead. Then I looked at the dish near the sink and saw about a dozen small, bloodied pieces of glass and metal inside. "Didn't hit any vitals."

"Not like those shards could even scratch them," I joked.

Maila chuckled as she grabbed a small glass. "Said you wanted to talk?" she asked as she grabbed an ice tray and tossed a few ice cubes in the glass.

I sat down on one of the chairs. "We saw Harrison again."

"The Drone that was in the Chrome Realm?" Maila questioned as she grabbed a bottle of chartreuse and poured it into the glass.

"Yes," I confirmed.

Maila chuckled. "Still alive, after all?" She sat down on her bed and took a sip of her beverage.

"There were a fair number of rogue Drones this time," I reported. "I have a feeling their numbers are going to grow after glassing that desert."

Maila looked at her gloved hands; this was far too habitual for both of us at that point, and even I began fidgeting my fingers. She then closed her eyes and smiled. "Huh. You were right about that Hybrid. To think I believed betraying the Drones was impossible. With the loss of their facilities, I have a feeling a civil war is about to brew. Anyone that still pledges with Annette…" Maila began fidgeting her fingers, "well, I just hope the arms of Death will save them from their self-inflicted suffering."

"Maila, I want to know something."

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to do after we overthrow Annette?"

"Karma…" Maila stood up before crouching before me. "You know I love you, and I've dedicated my life for you." She lightly stroked my jaw-line with her right hand. "I want you to live life to the fullest; I want you to be who you want to be." I then moved my hand down to her left forearm, then I began massaging her hand softly. "You're a rare beauty, sis. And I'll never let anyone taint that."

"I know, sis," I said as I caressed her shoulder. "But I want the same for _you_. Harrison told me he wanted a home for the Drones. Have you… have you thought about settling down after this war's over?"

Maila looked down at her right hand again and sighed pessimistically. "I have so much blood on my hands, sis."

"I know you had to do what you did," I said. "I'm sure Harrison would pardon you."

Maila chuckled. "Ironic that you say that, considering Mom named you Karma."

I snickered back in response. "But I really do want the best for you."

Maila stood up and looked at a digital photo on her tablet, the same selfie when I first got my driver's license. "I've freed myself from Gelorum. I hope to free myself from Walker." She shifted towards another photo of another woman, wearing a dark blue hijab.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ - Garage  
Vert Wheeler_

"This is the internal weapons bay of Octainium," Dad said as the liquid metal body dissolved off Maila's replacement vehicle. "Look at the two launchers." He pressed a button on Octainium's dash, which had two tiny revolver-like cannons pop out of the back of the car.

"Huh. Never saw Maila use these," I commented.

"She had them removed from her previous car," Dad said as he inspected the two launchers. "All Octainium units are only used by the ESF and they are equipped with a special weapon that is actually banned by the United Nations."

I knew where this was going. "White phosphorous?" I questioned.

"A bio-plague that we nickname, the Black Dust," said Maila. The Eiss sisters walked towards us from the garage entrance. "Anyone that isn't registered within the Silencerz' database could die within a minute. When one gets exposed…" Maila breathed slowly and bitterly muttered, "…let's just say what happened in Turkey made me want to down a fucking bottle of absinthe."

"I have a feeling it's going to come down to this," I said, massaging my temples.

"Vert…" Maila put her left hand on my right shoulder, her face looking disheartened. "I hate it too. When they deployed it in Turkey, all I could do was put my enemies out of their misery."

"We just bombarded a key target in Highway 35," Karma said to her sister. "What we've been doing sufficed; this is sadism."

"General Walker never cared about the messes we left," Maila said. "We're all supposed to be dead; we'll never be put on trial for our atrocities. All that matters to him is a better future that we build."

"That girl in the photo," Karma said.

"Aylin," Maila replied. "Her name was Aylin."

I knew that she was one of the tipping points for Maila becoming distant towards her ESF squadmates.

"During my time in Turkey, I was resting in an abandoned, war-torn mosque in Istanbul," Maila explained as she took out a picture of her lover. "We bonded because we both wanted the prime minister dead. She knew I was a Drone, but she wanted to give me a home after the war. The ESF carpet-bombed Istanbul with the Black Dust. Sorenson shot a canister at the mosque…"

Dad and I looked at each other while Karma closed her eyes solemnly.

"The last thing I wanted was to see… to hear her suffering," Maila said, eyes beginning to water. "But there was nothing I could have done." She did not seem to mean it from the bottom of her heart.

"Maila…"

"I've done some terrible things for the right reasons," Maila said. "The ESF… they only care about their own gratification."

A beeping sound came from her phone. "Yes? Lani?" she answered. "Alright, I'll have them put him in the cell." She hung up.

"Let me guess, Kurt?" Karma asked.

Maila nodded.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Kurt's Quarters  
_ _Two hours later_   
_Kurt Wylde_

I heard the alarm blare from my room, indicating that the next Realm was about to begin.

Esmerelda and Krakatoa stood in front of me as I opened the door. "What are you two doing here?" I questioned.

"Kurt Wylde, you've been permanently barred from racing in the Realms," Krakatoa stated.

"What?" I shouted.

"We are taking you to a holding cell until the race is finished," Krakatoa continued as he and Esmerelda grabbed both of my arms.

"Wait, you can't do this!" I objected as they escorted me out of my room. "My brother… my friends are about to race."

"Lani knows you're incapable as an operative," Esmerelda said. "The order comes from Captain Eiss herself."

"Why are you…?"

"Things are going to get violent from here on," Krakatoa explained. "And we know you won't be able to handle it."

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

I looked over the Teku section, which was missing Battle Spec. "I feel bad for him…" I said to Maila as we walked towards Reverb and Octainium.

"He's not cut out for what we're about to do," she replied as she opened Octainium's vertical door. "It's for the best."

"It really is going to be horrible out there, isn't it?" I asked.

"Just don't let it stick to you like the black dust will stick to the Drones," Maila said.

The first ring stopped on the Desert symbol.

"All teams, you are about to enter the Desert Realm," Dad radioed.

"Just when I thought that I had enough sand in my shoes," Monkey complained sarcastically as he walked to Power Bomb.

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"I know exactly what's going to happen," I said. "You don't need to suspend me."

"We would rather not see you witness what's they're going to do," Esmerelda said, as I struggled to free myself from her grip. Krakatoa pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Please, just comply. For your sanity's sake."

"Get off me!" I shouted.

"Kurt, you don't know what you're doing!" Esmerelda shouted.

This was not fair.

The Drones are on the cusp of creating a full-fledged rebellion; Annette's own regime was on the cusp of crumbling. Why did we need the ESF to head into the Realms when Maila (and perhaps, Karma) were bad enough? Why did we need more needless slaughter?

"I said GET OFF!" I yelled as I headbutted Krakatoa from behind just as he was about to get the handcuffs on. I then grabbed the cuffs and tossed them like a nunchuk at Esmerelda, who blocked each attack until one of the cuffs locked onto her right wrist. I then threw her into the wall head first before I dragged her into my room and locked the other shackle on the bolted table beam.

"Kurt, this is not going to end well," Esmerelda warned as blood began dripping from her forehead and lip. "I know you hate what we're doing. You'll hate us more when the Realm begins. There's no going back from this. You just assaulted your own soldiers."

"I'm doing what's right, Es," I said as I ran into the halls towards the garage. All the lights for the portal were green. As I stumbled through the halls, I saw a group of scientists carrying a canister.

"Get the hell out of my way!" I shouted, pushing the scientists back, forcing them to drop the canister. White vapor leaking from it covered the halls; the scent was noxious enough to nearly make me vomit while my eyes watered.

* * *

_Esmerelda Sanchez_

"Damn," Krakatoa shouted. "He's lost it."

The entire halls were fuming with one of the chemicals needed to create Nitrox 3. Prolonged exposure would almost be the equivalent of walking with the Bubonic Plague.

"This is Lieutenant Sanchez to Captain Eiss," I radioed. "Kurt's escaped and he's likely heading your way."

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

I grabbed my helmet and ran for Battle Spec. "Ignite, dammit!" I shouted as I put the key inside before all four cylinders of the engine roared.

"Markie, I'm so sorry," I whispered.

 _There's no going back from this,_ I remembered Esmerelda say. All I knew from that point was I had to do what had to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Fun fact: The mentioning of Karma being a "rare beauty" also pertains to her HW car, Chicane, being a very rare and very sought-after toy on Ebay since it was manufactured late in the line.
> 
> Oh, how I wish I had that vehicle.


	23. Black Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter may not be suited for those sensitive to:  
> Torture  
> If anyone has any suicidal/traumatic feelings, contact your friends, family, 911, a professional counselor, or your national hotline.

****  
_23: Black Dust_  
Desert Realm  
Two minutes earlier  
Maila Eiss

Vert and I landed on the dusty, sand-covered track. The sky was bloody red, as if the legions of Hell were burning Heaven to the ground. Or perhaps, the Angels themselves burned their own paradise down?

Much like how the Accelerons nearly did?

Visibility was poor; sand was already accumulating on my purple windshield. The heat was hot enough that an ordinary automobile could spontaneously burst into flames. Heat waves distorted the sandy dunes like water ripples.

Thankfully, Toni had reverse-engineered the Dune Ratz's cooling technology to keep our engines from burning out.

The track itself was covered in sand in some places; some of them leading off the track and onto the dunes. From what I knew, the World Race drivers drove into a dune that they could not get themselves out of; they had to hook onto some of the Dune Ratz and Wave Rippers to get by. Finn even told me how Heralda and Toni had ten cars hooked onto each other like elephants holding their tails. Thank Gig 1 for sending us the schematics for the Drone tires.

"I wonder if we'll see him again," Vert said.

"Kadeem?" Toni questioned.

"This is his element after all," Vert explained.

"We can only hope Lau's knocked some sense into him," Taro said.

Vert looked at me through his window. "This remind you of anything?" he asked, as if he knew some of my operations as an ESF operative were in the Middle East.

I chuckled morbidly. "Horrible things." Besides the atrocities we committed in our missions, I remembered stupidly stepping into a rather deep patch of quicksand. I weighed 300 pounds (approximately 136 kilograms) with my cybernetics, and I was neck-deep. Sorenson and Sera nearly broke my neck getting me out. Knowing the Realms, if we would ever catch ourselves in that situation, it would be ten times worse.

Probably one of the worst areas for the Drones to have an early grave in. I sighed melancholically at the thought of such a slow demise, not that living the rest of their lives as Drones would be hell, especially with the Drones facing a dire predicament.

The thought of Aylin dying looped like a YouTube clip that repeated a certain joke or scene for ten hours. No one should go through the suffering we would inflict. _Death_ should be the blessing.

"Maila?" Vert's voice interrupted.

"It's nothing," I said. "Just don't let all this get to your head."

"This is Lieutenant Sanchez to Captain Eiss," Esmerelda radioed from the base. "Kurt's escaped and he's heading for the Realm portal."

I groaned frustratedly. "Son of a bitch… Es, you and Krakatoa follow him. I know exactly what he wants to do."

I knew I was hard on him in his time as a Silencer. Perhaps what was happening now was my fault, knowing he hated what I did and what the ESF were going to do.

But he was bringing his own stupid decisions on himself. He should have kept working as a staff member rather than drive with very little practice or training. How could he try to help his friends? Let alone this conflict?

I knew his biggest motivation was his brother. Much like the devotion I had towards my sister, I will give him credit for going the extra mile and having everyone in the two teams save him despite the risks.

I feared that devotion was going to be his downfall.

"What's he doing?" Nolo questioned over Spectyte's radio.

"I knew something was off about him," Dresden commented.

"He's not going to come back from this," Karma said cynically.

I gazed into the distance and saw my former squadmates in Odin Team ahead of us.

"This is an order from General Walker himself," Colonel Wheeler radioed with less enthusiasm. "Provide support for Odin Team as they attack the enemy forces."

I looked at Vert, who was gripping the steering wheel hard. "We know what we have to do," I told him with a slightly anxious haste. "We're mere steps away from toppling Annette's regime. We can't go back."

"It doesn't feel right," Vert replied in a soft-spoken manner.

"When have we ever done the right thing to win?" I questioned.

"Ian Sorenson to Odin Team. It's time we break the Drones' pathetic spirits once and for all. Priority is placed on psychological damage," the captain said. "Prepare the Black Dust."

Launchers popped out of the back of their Octainiums. "I can't wait to hear how these cyber clowns squirm," Sera said sinisterly.

_Aylin, I'm really sorry,_ I thought as one of my eyes began to water.

"We've got thirty Lights, four Heavies, and one G-class," Sorenson said. "Light them up."

The ESF launched their projectiles, which left blackened contrails, as if Death herself arrived as a member of the audience.

Landing near the Drone fleet, a giant black cloud of dust covered the track.

The following felt like the embodiment of Pablo Picasso's _Guernica_.

"What's going on?" one of the Hybrids questioned before he began coughing. More of them followed suit, growing much hoarser and throatier with every second. I even heard some of them begin screaming and crying that sounded like someone was hammering a nail in my eardrums.

"Chemicals! In the air!" another shouted with a pained, gravely voice before he vomited harshly. "It hurts!"

"My face! My god!"

One of the Drones spun out, accidentally hitting one of his teammates off the road before he did the same. The two Lights landed and sank into the sand dunes below.

"What have we done?" Vert questioned quietly.

"This is how the ESF operates?" Nolo shouted.

"Ha! It's like an avant-garde symphony! What's missing is a conductor!" Sera sadistically cheered over the screams of the ESF's victims like a hammy comic-book villain.

"Jesus Christ…" Karma gasped.

"I feel like I'm about to hurl," Monkey said.

"I thought they stopped using these weapons?" Toni said.

If I still had a proper stomach instead of a liquid food processor, I would be vomiting. Team Odin did not bother to ram the Drones off the road as they passed by.

"No! Please kill me!" a female Hybrid begged tearfully. "Don't go!"

"This is spite," Jet said. "These guys want the Hybrids to suffer."

"Put them out of their misery," I said as I shot a giant EMP ball, which divided into five, at the Drones in front of me, then began charging for another volley of coups de grâce.

"Don't waste your ammo, Captain," Sorenson said to me. "Let these bastards suffer."

My former squad's comments pierced harder than the surgical instruments that changed my life.

"Nothing's changed about you," I whispered bitterly. "And nothing will ever change you."

"This is… this is too much," Nolo said.

"Maila, how could you work with these guys?" Vert questioned me.

"I had no choice…" I said resentfully. "I was declared a dead woman before I even joined the ESF."

Lieutenant Colonel Wheeler was silent as we trudged on, even though our electronic systems were still functioning. The fact that his son was witnessing them was going to be a stressful notion. I knew my sister could handle such an atrocious event, but Vert was more emotional.

But unlike Kurt, he did not have any additional baggage of past mistakes (that have hurt people).

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

The second I arrived in the portal, the screaming, vomiting, and gagging from the Drones covered my radio.

My heart raced faster than the cars we drove. It was as if someone compiled a dozen audio tapes from snuff films and blared them out in my car speakers.

"What happened here?" I shouted, breathing heavily. "What's going on?"

"Kurt, you need to use the EDR!" Maila ordered. "You can't be here!"

"What happened?" I questioned. "What have you done, Maila?"

"It's not her," Karma said. "It's the ESF. They launched a bio-plague onto the Drones."

"What?" I screamed. I soon stopped as I saw a wreckage of Drones on the track. "What are we doing here?" I got out of my car and began inspecting the area.

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

"Tork, I'm heading towards Kurt," Wylde said.

"Be careful out there," Tork replied.

"He should be better than this," Wylde said to himself as he handbraked Flathead Fury 180 degrees and drove past the others.

"Shirako, keep going," I ordered my teammate before looking at Karma through Drift Tech's window. "Karma, we're going for Kurt."

"Copy that, Nolo," Karma responded as we stopped and turned the opposite way.

We all knew Kurt was not a saint, but his care towards us and others had so far outweighed all the bad stuff in his past. I had a hunch he was about to do something stupid, and I'd hate to see yet another Teku racer go out the way Tone did.

No… I'd hate to see a friend… a brother go out the way Tone did.

This was the worst kind of place we wanted him to go, especially after the traumatic events he and his brother had been through. Any wasted second could mean a world of hurt.

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

I could feel my throat burn from the toxic oils and smoke I breathed in. My head was pounding as if someone crushed it with a brick of lead.

As I walked by a stopped Light vehicle with its left back wheel dislodged, a Hybrid suddenly launched out of his car and snatched on my wrist like a snake. I even felt my joints crack with such a piercing pain that followed.

"KILL ME! Please, for Gelorum's sake, kill me!" His face was covered in boils while his mouth was drooling like a rabies victim. He collapsed on me, forcing me on my back, and vomited blood on my jacket.

A mere two seconds felt like twenty minutes as I frantically breathed in the dusty air. I felt sand coating my throat and I coughed so hard, I felt the acids in my stomach burn my esophagus.

"What are we doing?" I said to myself in a gravely, strained timbre as I quickly got back in my car. "What have we done? Vert? Markie? What have we done to them? This is… this is sadistic. What… what is this?!"

"Kurt, do what you're told and hit the EDR," Maila responded sternly.

I immediately began fuming. "You can't be doing this!" I shouted at her. "Tell the ESF to stand down! This is too much."

"This is how wars are won," Maila claimed cynically. "How we've saved the world time and time again. Atrocities like this are what our world has run on."

Markie's Flathead Fury stopped on the track.

"Whoa!" I slammed on the brakes and stopped near him. "Markie, what the hell are you doing?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," Markie replied.

"Get out the way! I need to stop the ESF!" I said as I got out.

"You need to get your shit together, bro," he shouted as he got out of his car. "There's nothing we can do about what's going on."

"We're torturing people!" I screamed. "Markie, the Silencerz are _tyrants_! We're aiding the _bad guys_!"

"You're making a mistake, Kurt!" Markie protested. "It's horrible, but this isn't the time! Don't make the same mistakes you did before!"

* * *

_Ian Sorenson_

"This is Polonsky to all remaining units," one of the Drones said while coughing. "Incoming transmission from Chancellor Annette. A rogue Hybrid unit has attacked our mining facilities. Only a scratch unit of Disposables are being sent here."

"Annette has abandoned us…"

"It doesn't matter, Peters. If we're going to die today, we'll go out in a blaze of glory! Hail Gelorum!"

"Hail Gelorum!" the remaining Drones cheered in such strained voices, it was like listening to a chalkboard symphony.

The remaining Drones in front of us all pulled u-turns and began charging at us. One G-class fell off the track before a flight exoskeleton was formed around its body. Similarly, a Hyperpod formed around one of the Heavies, which had a battering ram attached to the front.

"Desperate little buggars, aren't you?" I said as our team used our jump jets to hover over the Heavy. "Captain Eiss, they're all yours."

"I'm on it…"

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"I'm doing this for you, Markie!" I yelled. "How will you live your life after all this is over?" I pointed towards his mechanical arm. "We don't have prosthetics like that in the market! You'll be taken in like a lab rat by some sketchy company!"

"I know you want to become a Drone, Kurt."

"If it means a new life for both of us," I argued. "You could find a home there."

Markie shook his head. "You're a fool," he said before he attempted to punch me. I ducked with his human fist breaking Battle Spec's mirror off.

"Markie, why?" I questioned.

"Kurt, don't do this," Markie pleaded.

"Maila's corrupted you," I said, gritting my teeth. "She's grooming Karma and Vert to be like her. She's already made everyone I know complicit in this! We need this to stop!"

"You're deluded!" Markie shouted.

"Kurt, leave this Realm, NOW!" That voice came from Esmerelda. Behind me, her Technetium and Krakatoa's Metaloid stopped by my car.

Behind Markie, Team Grim, Karma, and Nolo blocked the track.

"Dammit," I said.

"Hands up, Kurt," Esmerelda said as she and her partner got out of their cars, arming their pistols at me.

"I have no time for this, Es," I told her as I put my hands up.

"You don't know what you're doing," Karma said as she readied a defensive stance, armed with her chainsaw katana.

"Says the pot to the kettle," I spat back.

"We'll offer a plea deal when you're back at the base," Krakatoa offered. "If you just comply, we'll guarantee your safety."

I shook my head and groaned. "This can't go on."

* * *

_Maila Eiss_

The Heavy Drone launched its battering ram at my team. "Brace yourselves!" I ordered my teammates as I inserted the Metro Realm Accelecharger into the slot in my dashboard. The ram flew over me before bouncing onto the track.

"Look out!" Alec shouted as he evaded the ram, but not before it fell in front of Dresden's hood.

"Dammit!" he said as he teleported his car back to base.

"Loki Team, get behind me!" The three began drafting from behind. As I was about to collide head-on with the Heavy, who was still equipped with his Slam Ram exoskeleton, I activated my Nitrox 3 boosters and tore through the Slam Ram Hyperpod, creating a hole in the trunk and dislodging the front wheels before crashing into the SUV controlling it. Fragments of both the Slam Ram's engine and the SUV blew across our cars while the Hybrid operating on the Heavy landed like a bug on my windshield.

"I'll drag you down with me!" the wounded Hybrid shouted desperately as he tried to break through my window with his fist, which was missing two fingers.

"It's futile," I sighed with a slight tint of remorse. I then saw a Light coming towards me and I slammed into him head-on, forcing the Drone off my car to fly down onto the sands below with the shattered remains of the Light vehicle.

"We've got two Heavies and five Lights coming at us!" Banjee informed.

I intercepted one of the Heavies and collided head on with him, bouncing him over me and falling off the track. I then drifted the left side of my car towards another Heavy and two Lights, bouncing exactly like balls despite the obvious weight of the vehicles. The third Light accidentally bumped into my front bumper, forcing him to spiral in the air off the track while the fourth and fifth barely passed me.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

I gripped Reverb's steering wheel and took a deep breath.

I blasted one of the Lights with an EMP strike while Alec rammed the disabled Drone off the track. Banjee's Anthracite fired another EMP burst at the final Drone.

"Just one more," Maila reported as a flying Drone hovered above us.

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"Aren't any of you sick of what we're doing?" I shouted. "Ugh, I mean, is there anyone who is even remotely questioning all of this?"

"Kurt, you just can't comprehend in this bird cage you locked yourself in what war really is," Toni said.

"I never wanted any of this to happen," I said. "I just wanted to move on from the Drones…" I then looked at Markie's Drone arm.

Esmerelda and Krakatoa were on one side while Karma, Nolo, Markie, and Grim Team were on the other. "I know you're not going to kill me.

Esmerelda grabbed a pair of handcuffs from her car. "This is for your own good," she said as she inched closer.

"All units, this is Colonel Wheeler," the radio in my car alerted. "Gig 2 has picked up enemy reinforcements coming your way."

"If you have second thoughts, hit the EDR or back off," Karma said bitterly as she deactivated her sword and returned to Drift Tech. "Whatever you're planning, it's not going to go the way you want."

The other Silencerz returned to their cars and began driving forward.

No progress would be made by standing around, and I hurried to Battle Spec and drove forward. My right hand began shaking, and I felt tempted to press the EDR button.

"Damn them all," I said.

* * *

**KILL RECORDS**  
Jason Peters  
Callsign: Kantele 2  
Status: Killed by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-03  
Affiliation: Racing Drones

Bio: In 2020, Jason Peters was infamously disqualified from the F1 championship for a mod that released a toxic substance. Fifty attendees during the first race were hospitalized as a result. A year later, five other racers, including Kurt Wylde, would use the same substance, though Wylde had disputed that he had not known about the mod installed. It is rumored that Peters had involvement in that incident.


	24. Tragedy Hits Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Took me a while, but here is Chapter 24! Heavy things are going to happen, so get your tissues ready.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter may not be suited for those sensitive to:  
> Torture  
> Grief/Loss  
> If anyone has any suicidal/traumatic feelings, contact your friends, family, 911, a professional counselor, or your national hotline.

_24: Tragedy Hits Home  
_ _Desert Realm  
_ _Vert Wheeler_

As I watched Maila shoot down the flying Drone, all I could wish was that the latter's death was swift. "That's all of them," she said coldly, but with a softer tone than usual.

I could not imagine how disgusted she was with the ESF after reliving how they killed her lover.

"Now to off the munters in the back," Sorenson said.

"What about that whiny wanker on the radio?" Sera questioned.

"Twenty-seven years old and still whining like a teenage twat. Maybe it's time we shank him?" Maki suggested.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, what?" I said to them. "You're going to kill him?"

"Wheeler, you'll understand," Sorenson said as he and his team drifted across the track and sped back.

The black-clad Octainiums breezed through us like bullets; the lead car even breaking one of Maila's mirrors. Made me wonder how they treated their own captain at the time.

I flung my steering wheel hard right as one of the ESFs were about to collide head-on into me. Reverb's right wheels were scraping at the edge of the track while he just passed mere inches from the left side. My heart felt like it was going to explode like Power Rage in the Water Realm. "Christ…"

"Dude!" Alec shouted as he barely avoided collision.

"Hijo de las mil putas!" Banjee shouted, which translated to "son of a thousand whores."

"Sandstorm's moving in," Maila informed. I looked on my right side and saw a colossal, blood red storm of sand and dust heading for us. There was already enough sand raining down on my car that I felt like it could clog the ventilation and have Reverb's engine burst into flames. The thunder from the storm's lightning had such a dense low-end burst that it could burst our windshields!

And I thought the _Storm Realm_ was terrifying.

"I'm going for Kurt," I told her.

"Vert, what we have will suffice," Maila discouraged. "We need to deny the Drones the win."

"Alec, Banjee, keep going," I ordered. "I can't just let him die here!"

"It's too dangerous!" Maila shouted. "You need to stay alive if it means keeping the Drones' spirits broken! The sandstorm's jamming our systems!"

"I'm not leaving without him!" I said as I made a sharp u-turn backwards.

"Vert!" I heard a blunt thud on the radio. "Dammit. Banjee, Alec, the race is yours. I'm going to support Vert." From my mirror, I saw Maila's Octainium trailing behind me.

I could barely see the four other Octainiums as they began to fade like water washing off paint.

"Whatever you do, do not target the ESF," Maila said as she pulled beside me. "You'll be branded a traitor if you do!"

I was one of the first to forgive Kurt despite him being a spy for Gelorum. I remember having a talk with him before we parted Highway 35, how, out of everyone he screwed over, he considered me a true friend.

I knew whatever he was doing, he still would not want to hurt anyone. But after what the Drones did to Kadeem, the path he was following was becoming far too unpredictable.

"Please Kurt," I whispered, gritting my teeth. "Stay with us."

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

_Screw it,_ I thought as I saw the colossal storm heading our way. I opened the glass door covering the EDR button and punched it.

No response.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

"My dash is acting up," Nolo said. "Karma?"

"I'm having the same issue," I replied as the digital speedometer on my steering wheel was starting to show letters and signs instead of numbers. "Our systems are jammed."

As I looked in the mirror, I noticed the lack of firepower being thrown at us. "The guns… they've stopped."

* * *

_Michael Rush_

"Daniels, why did the Drones stop shooting?" I questioned.

"Sandstorm's preventing us from using our electronics," Daniels replied. "I hope, by Gelorum's grace, the enemy can't use 'em either."

"You sound like you're tempting fate, man," I said anxiously. "Can't believe we've been sent into this mess."

* * *

_Kurt Wylde_

"Here come the cowards," I said to myself as I saw four black silhouettes approaching about a quarter-mile away from me.

"Open fire!" Sorenson screamed with authoritarian conviction as the four Octainiums launched the Black Dust missiles into the air.

"NO!" I screamed, nearly cracking my voice as I saw the missiles fly behind us before detonating into a black cloud of smoke, blending into the red storm like drops of oil in water. I began hyperventilating as five of the Drones behind us inadvertently drove into it.

An insufferable soundtrack of choking and screaming blared on my radio as the leading Drones began swerving out of control.

"Screw this!" Far behind the pack, the other Drones drove off the track, either possibly intending on committing suicide or desperation to stay alive. Even with spiked treads, many of them could not gain enough traction to drive around the blackened cloud.

"No! No!" Some of them even began sinking under.

"You're mine, you whiny son of a bitch," Sera said to me as he sped his Octainium right into me.

"Kurt!" Markie nudged me aside, forcing Battle Spec to spin out. Flathead Fury took a hit that looked more painful than the Junk Realm wrecking balls inflicted, as its entire bumper shattered off and the two front wheels broke off and flew in the direction of the wind.

"Markie!" I screamed.

"HAIL GELORUM!" A Drone behind me hit the rear left side of my car, tearing the spoiler off and forcing me to spin out once more.

Another Octainium then collided onto the right side, knocking Battle Spec off the track and shattering the cockpit window. Sand filled and burned my mouth like boiling water before I landed onto the dune below.

My ears rung like church bells and my entire body was aching. I was so dazed, I could not tell how badly wounded I was. Did I break anything? Was I going to die? Would I never drive again?

Then, another thing came to mind that brought clarity within my confusion.

_Markie…_

I immediately pressed my right foot on the gas pedal, but Battle Spec outright refused to move. Its engine did not roar at all.

"Come on…" I whined pathetically, punching the steering wheel multiple times.

"HAIL GELORUM!" A red Heavy Drone fell off the track.

Along with Markie.

The sandstorm grew fiercer as lightning consumed the entire zone. It was as if Emperor Palpatine had left his universe and went into ours.

One bolt was aimed perfectly in the center of Flathead Fury.

Where the cockpit was.

Where Markie was.

"NO!" I raged.

Flathead Fury exploded into a fiery wreckage of ignited gasoline and smoldering metal.

A remnant… a severed piece of Markie's prosthetic hand landed right on Battle Spec's scraped and torn hood.

I stood there breathless and speechless. I did not feel the sand lining in my windpipe. I did not feel the injuries I sustained from the crash. All I could do was gaze at the broken piece of metal before me.

A piece of metal that should not have belonged to him.

I went from having a brother that idolized me, to one that resented me for everything I had done, to one that apparently cared for me when I was down, to being an only child once more. The latter two phases were like a nightmare; everything felt like it was a screenplay that was warped into a weird art piece. An experiment gone horribly wrong.

I did not even bother to dodge the Heavy Drone that was falling right in my direction.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"Kill confirmed," Sorenson said with such a barren, unfeeling tone that was even less human than an actual Drone. "The traitor, Kurt Wylde, is history."

…

My head was spinning, and I did not know what I was doing for the remainder of the time I spent in this Realm. Even with Maila's security, I felt like I was going to crash at any second or even lose my own life.

"Vert, you need to turn back! It's too late!" Maila begged.

In that moment, I did not know who were friends or foes. I did not remember if I took another u-turn back in the right direction where the blurry chevrons on the purple track pointed towards.

In a way, I subconsciously began to accept my fate.

I wanted out. Now.

Suddenly, the sandstorm stopped. Banjee or Alec must have won.

"This is Captain Eiss," Maila radioed. "All units, report in."

"Nolo and I are still here, sis," Karma replied.

"This is Tork. My team made it out except for Wylde. We have no contact with him."

"I lost vital signals for both Kurt and Mark Wylde," Dad reported.

My heart immediately sank again.

"They're…?" I could not bring myself to say "dead."

"No. No, no, no! This can't be," Tork shouted in a panicked frenzy. "Find them! They must be out there!"

"Where's Odin Team?" Karma questioned. I scanned every corner of my windows and noticed that the ESF were all missing.

"They bailed," Maila replied. "Still have vital signals on all the members."

"Cowards," I said bitterly.

"Multiple wreckages in the sand," Nolo reported. "Markie and Kurt could be down there."

"They're dead," Maila said firmly. "You're wasting time, Nolo."

"I need to know," Nolo insisted. "I… I need to see them."

I could not bear to see Kurt and Markie's corpses. "Nolo, I'm heading back to base," I said defeatedly.

"Roger that, Vert," Nolo replied.

As Maila and I started picking up speed to get back into HQ, I looked at her as I drove right by, and she did not look happy or triumphant as she usually was.

* * *

_Karma Eiss_

Nolo drove Spectyte off the track and onto the sandy dunes below while I trailed behind him. Both of our cars were more capable of driving off-road than the others we had built so far; driving on sand was easier than swimming.

I personally thought that this was a waste of time, but I just wanted to give him emotional support rather than leave him alone.

When Tone died, the first thing Nolo wanted to do was outright murder Tork. Before then, our rivalry was not much more than insulting each other and our cars. _Nice rice burner you got there,_ I remembered a former Maniac say. _Good luck with the manslaughter charges,_ Tone would often joke, regarding the poor handling capabilities of the Maniacs' (particularly Porkchop's) vehicles.

Simple insults started turning to death threats; I even had some equipment stolen after one broke into my apartment.

I feared he would lose it. I fear our teams drifting apart again, and this was not the time to have such low moral.

I scanned the area and found pieces of red scrap metal in a sea of trashed Drone remains. All I needed was to see the charred remains of the seat, and I turned my head in disgust. "Wylde's gone," I reported solemnly.

"I found him," Nolo said to me despondently. "I found Kurt."

* * *

_Silencerz HQ - Garage  
_ _Vert Wheeler_

"I'm heading to my quarters," Maila told me as she began walking out of the garage. "General Walker wants to hear from me."

Shirako just kept bobbing his head to his music, albeit with a solemn frown. Even though I could barely hear his music bleeding over from his headphones, I noticed a melancholic melody being played on what seemed to be a piano.

I knew Markie was the Maniacs' least-liked driver, but his death took a toll on the four remaining drivers, especially when relations were getting a lot better in the past months.

Monkey and Porkchop were unusually quiet, just standing by their cars. Almost every time I saw them, they would probably be doing something amusing like nearly causing a fire with their new batch of Nitrox 4 ½ or having Monkey try to stop Porkchop from tearing Sparky a new one.

Taro kept his eyes closed, standing with his arms crossed. He had that same expression we all grew to knew him for, but I knew he was feeling the same as the others.

Tork sat in Hollowback with his burly hand covering his face. I could not tell if he was crying or just in plain disbelief at what happened to his teammate.

Even the usually optimistic Banjee, who was holding the Desert Realm Accelecharger, looked like he just did not want to be here.

"Nolo, talk to me," Tork said.

"Wylde…" Nolo radioed before pausing for ten seconds. His breathing was audible, and I just wanted to call a counselor. "He's… he's gone."

"And what about Kurt?" I asked.

Nolo did not bother to answer. "First Tone, now Wylde… and Kurt," he murmured. "Kurt… HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN?!" His voice cracked, and I heard metal thudding followed by glass breaking, which we later found out that it was Spectyte's left headlight that he broke off.

Lani sat on the bench, almost on the verge of tears. She had the same reaction when Markie was first captured as well as her stint racing in the Realms early on. Even though she was not racing with us, she looked as if she witnessed their deaths in person.

"Who are we going to lose next?" Nolo asked pessimistically.

* * *

_Silencerz EU HQ, Finland  
_ _Finn Serpa_

"Bloody hell," I said to myself after hearing Vert's report on the monitor. The young blonde yank looked like he was about to burst in tears as he covered his mouth and sighed heavily. I turned away and saw both Maximo and San Jay looking down on the ground with subtle, yet similarly distraught expressions.

We lost a good number of operatives during our last op in the Hammer, but Markie's death personally hit home with me.

During the World Race, the Wave Rippers were very close to each other in the wake of other team members insulting us for placing last in the second leg. _Maybe if you didn't get a teenage brat as a leader, you would do so much better,_ I remembered Bart Scampi say. _Oh, you're joining that legion of losers?_ Ricky once told me.

Indeed. Three of us were just teenagers, and I had turned twenty about a month before the World Race. I felt like I drew the shortest straw when I arrived for the third leg, but the more I hung out with my four (and later six) teammates, the more we grew as friends.

Markie would often tell me how awesome of a driver his brother was and often imitated him for our amusement. We often held practice races, wondering who would be the most likely to get the Wheel of Power first. Markie was actually the most likely candidate, but that was because he kept ramming into us. Given that our cars were nigh-indestructible, I chalked his behavior up to stubbornness to be the best, and he had an enthusiasm that rivaled, if not, surpassed Vert's.

In a way, we were a bloody family.

I could not imagine how Lani and Alec felt.

San Jay and Maximo resented Kurt, but judging from their expressions, they still at least felt bad for him.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ – Maila's Quarters_   
_Maila Eiss_

I downed a shot of absinthe before I resumed staring at the photo of Aylin on my tablet.

_Knock knock knock._

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's me."

"Come in."

"I just wanted to know how you're doing," Vert said as he walked into the room.

I took a deep breath that lasted for nearly five seconds, savoring each and every molecule of air I both inhaled and exhaled while looking at the photo. "I should be asking that," I said monotonously.

"Well," Vert said as he sat on a chair. I turned my office chair towards him, "I just still can't believe it…" Vert took a deep breath; upon exhaling, he whispered, "Markie… Kurt…" and began looking down on the ground. "But what I'm realizing now…"

I batted an eye as he paused.

"The Drones are feeling the same way as we are," he explained, looking right into my eyes with a sniper's gaze. "They have been since you came in the picture. Probably even worse after what Sorenson's team just did."

"Welcome to war, kid," I chuckled cynically.

"Maila, this needs to stop," Vert said. "The torture we're putting the Drones through… it's… it's horrible. I know we're at war, but what we've done before should've been enough."

"General Walker told me about Odin Team's mission in Athens," I said. "Sorenson…" I just could not say what acts my former squadmate committed. I just took another deep breath and said to Vert, "He got a promotion for his… tactics."

"Maila…" Vert walked towards me and gripped both my shoulders, shaking me frustratedly. "Is there nothing we can do?!"

I opened my eyes wide, and they started to water. "Nothing…" I said. A tear fell from my left eye. "Absolutely nothing," I repeated in a frail, shrill tone as tears continued to fall.

"Maila…" Vert stepped back.

"It's always been this way," I cried as I walked towards my bed and sat. "The suffering… the inhumanity… It's how we won wars. It's been the only way we would win wars. And I'm one of those monsters."

"Let me give you a glass of water," Vert said.

I continued weeping for another moment before the young surf rat gave me my glass. "Vert…" I said before a sip. "I've done horrible things, but you've been treating me like a queen."

"Like you said before, you're doing all this for Karma. Your _other team_ are the monsters."

* * *

_Unknown location  
_ _Kurt Wylde_

_Kurt, can you hear me?_

"Gelorum?"

_It's time your eyes open to the truth._

I woke up and found myself driving in the city streets. A loud, long siren was blaring not too far away from me, and there were buildings on fire.

Suddenly, a man with a black suit and blue tie crashed out of a window two stories high. A black-hooded figure then dropped down with a chainsaw katana and struck his abdomen. As the wind blew her hood away, I saw Karma's face – cold and emotionless like her sister.

Maila emerged from the corner of another building and kissed her sister on the cheek. "You are awesome, sis."

On the intersection, I saw a wounded man crawling away from Monkey and Porkchop. "Don't kill me! Please!"

"Hahaha! Look at how he squirms, Porkchop!" Monkey cackled maniacally before the bigger man walked closer with his hammer.

I then stopped and saw a bald man punching another man while he was down.

I instantly recognized the spiked black hair and blackened metal arm.

"MARKIE!" I screamed, jumping out of my car.

"Help me!" Markie shouted as Sorenson kept kicking his side.

"YOU BASTARD!" I screamed at Sorenson as I tried to punch him, only for my fist to go right through him, as if I was punching a 3D hologram.

Sorenson looked at me and stood up. "When will you realize all of your efforts are futile?" He then lifted his boot, aimed at Markie's head. "We are all violent by nature!"

"No!" I shouted, looking away as Sorenson dealt a fatal blow.

Suddenly, a large wave of red began flooding through the city with Vert surfing on top of it. "Shoot the curl!" he shouted.

The wave of blood quickly swept my car in.

I did not feel like I was drowning, though. I could not even feel the blood washing all around me.

I saw a blackened figure swimming towards me before I recognized that short white hairstyle.

"Kurt!"

"Gelorum?!" I shouted.

Gelorum latched onto me shoulders. "Kurt, this world is not worth saving!" she said frantically. "We can't let the humans commit such atrocities."

"I don't know how we can stop them!" I shouted.

"You need to join us again," she responded. Her face started to peel off, but instead of the robotic skeleton I thought she had, it was tissue and blood. Gelorum starting coughing and wheezing, much like the Drones in the Desert Realm did. "Don't let my people die!"

She then let go of me, caught in the current.

"GELORUM!"

I blinked my eyes, and the next thing I knew, I was in a green room.

* * *

**KILL RECORDS**

Oli Kramer  
Callsign: Kantele 1  
Status: Killed by Maila Eiss  
Vehicle: RD-09  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: On 13/5/2023, a charity Kramer hosted became a target for a mass shooting, leaving twenty dead and fifty injured, including himself. He was last seen exiting the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf with another hooded person and has been declared missing.  
ADDENDUM 22/02/2024: Police have found traces of the same unknown element previously discovered in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, where a mansion that belonged to the Straussberg Royal Family burned down.

Mark Wylde  
Status: Killed by Aaron Baker Bearer  
Vehicle: Flathead Fury  
Affiliation: Metal Maniacs/Silencerz  
Bio: Served a two-year prison sentence for importing illegal car mods for the now-defunct company, Blackwater Park. Wylde joined the Silencerz along with the other members of the street racing teams, Teku and Metal Maniacs. Although not classified as a Hybrid, he was the second with a Drone prosthetic to join the Silencerz with Maila Eiss being the first.

Aaron Baker Bearer  
Status: Killed self  
Vehicle: RD-03  
Affiliation: Racing Drones  
Bio: The former NASCAR driver was disqualified from the 2024 championship upon the discovery of heroin on his property and a list of clients that he sold drugs to. As a Drone, Bearer showed no signs of withdrawal from heroin or any possible drugs.

Kurt Wylde  
Status: Missing in action, defeated by Ian Sorenson  
Vehicle: Battle Spec  
Affiliation: Teku/Silencerz  
Bio: Went rogue against the Elite Stealth Force's Odin Team after the Silencerz' Northern U.S. Division banned him from racing in the Realms. Resentment had grown strong with Wylde from his conscription to his disappearance, particularly against Captain Maila Eiss's methods. His whereabouts are unknown after Operation: Mephistopheles.


	25. Ragnarok Awaits

_An anonymous Hybrid_

In the face of a world slowly absorbing dystopian values, some chose to side with those with utopian intentions, but end up in the same dystopia as before.

The lesser of two evils must also realize the true meaning of paradise.

* * *

_25: Ragnarok Awaits  
_ _Racing Drones' HQ – The Holy Spire  
_ _Kurt Wylde_

I was held thirty-feet in the air with my arms and legs bound to a t-pose, akin to being hanging from a crucifix. Of course, without the agonizing pain of having my hands and feet impaled by nails.

But something felt unnatural about my limbs. I could not feel any warmth, and every time I dug my fingers into my palms, the sensation felt more like a light electric current than a natural nerve. Turning my head right, I saw a skeletal black mechanical hand in place of my human limb.

It was at that point I knew what the Drones had done to me. I did not even have to look at my reflection on the glossy black floor to realize what I became.

I knew it was bound to happen. But at first, I felt shocked; in utter disbelief. I wished I could just punch myself and wake up back at the Silencerz' HQ, where Markie could have been fine-tuning Flathead Fury or sparring with Esmerelda.

The entire lower half of my body was replaced by the double-jointed, amphibious Drones legs that I had seen more than a few times. There were wires where my intestines were, and my breath felt cold and oily, as if diesel fuel was pumped into my bloodstream. Although I still had my orange goggles on (albeit cracked), I noticed a very slight green tint to my irises.

Heaviness filled the top half of my diaphragm while my lower half felt like I was emaciating myself. Guess they replaced pretty much all my internals.

When I took a breath, it felt like I was not in control of my lungs, or whatever they were replaced with.

Normally, I would lose it.

However, despite waking up to what I had become, I felt unusually calm. My likely mechanical heart was beating at a walker's pace.

_This is my life now,_ I thought to myself.

Everything in my past life became progressively worse with each Realm or op the Silencerz took. I knew I would risk so much of myself, but I never expected the worst to happen. We risked life and limb to save Markie, only for him to die seven months later.

I felt like _everyone_ died within that time.

They say that dreams are based off one's memory. And the dream I had was not that far of a stretch from what they became. Not one person besides me wanted to oppose Maila or the ESF. _They're all complicit in the slaughter. Like actors playing their roles, and I happen to be Megan Fox getting fired by Michael Bay._

I didn't know if I should even grieve for Markie for wanting to stop me. Maybe he died long ago…?

This reality that I was forced in was more fantasy than a fucking fairytale.

* * *

I heard footsteps growing louder in volume, reverberating in this room. I felt more relieved to see whoever was coming than a monster like Maila Eiss.

It was her. Annette Christ.

Two Hybrid Drones walked by her side as her personal guards, though I did notice one of them slightly move his head in a slightly jagged manner. Was it a glitch in his cybernetics?

"Leave us," she told them, waving her fingers towards the door, to which the guards abided. She then turned and walked towards me. "Kurt Wylde, back to becoming one of us. Gelorum believed you were her most trusted associate. She would've been proud to see you again."

"I should never have betrayed her," I said. "You and the Drones were the true heroes all along."

"It's pretty sad in a way," Annette said melancholically. "We're on the losing end of this war. Humanity has rejected change… rejected evolution. All in favor of some imaginary friends in the sky that allow such atrocities to happen. All I wanted was happiness for that dismal, corrupt world. But I knew it was not worth saving."

"I don't know if anything is worth saving," I responded.

"Let's lift your spirits up for one moment," she said with a kindred smile, putting her hand on my shoulder. "We salvaged some of our kind who were suffering from that plague the Silencerz spread. We used your DNA and immediately cured them."

"That's… that's good," I said, suddenly feeling relieved.

"Come now." Annette released my restraints and personally guided me through several facilities across the city. The Drones had multiple factories creating new experimental weapons such as the RD-10 and the Strato-Thrusters. There was an underground facility where embryos were sustained in vats while developing children and adolescents (who aged five times as fast) had headsets that processed knowledge in their heads. Research labs where captured humans were used as experiments. There was even a recently rebuilt art museum; the same one Karma destroyed three months ago.

"Humans like you need to know that we're not just some experiments gone horribly wrong," Annette said. "We're a new race. We've cured cancer, ALS, and nearly all terminal diseases; we created technology that could extend our life expectancy to five-hundred years; we even found a way to reproduce without the pain of childbirth. Our race can _thrive_. We could make life worth living."

I looked across the city from the Holy Spire's balcony. The same place where Markie and Kadeem fought seven months ago.

"What about the Drone rebellion?" I asked her.

"They've been misguided," she said. "Wishing to keep the status quo and prolong conflict not just for our old world, but for this one. Humanity's problems are deep-seeded, and that part needs to die."

"I understand."

"With you joining the Realms and members of the Ragnarok program joining us, this could be our greatest chance at defeating the humans once and for all."

I did not even hesitate. "Give me the strength to kill her."

"The Valkyrie?"

"Her, her sister, the ESF, and anyone who supports her," I said. "Maila killed them. _She_ killed my brother."

Annette smiled maliciously.

Behind me, I heard someone clapping. "You seem more willing that I expected you to be," he said in a gravely Russian accent.

* * *

_Silencerz HQ - Garage  
_ _Karma Eiss_

As I took off my headset after a simulation run, I saw Taro looking at the abandoned Spine Buster.

"Love?" I called as I walked to his side.

Despite the deaths of the Wylde brothers, Taro remained unfazed… from the outside.

"You thought your sister died before you two reunited," Taro said. "How did you cope at the time?"

I knew what he was building up to.

"I bottled it up for a very long time," I answered as I slightly rolled up one of my sleeves before looking at my scarred wrist. "I thought I could distract myself by further honing my skills. The last thing anyone would want to see is a broken woman crying her eyes out in one of the most notorious street racing teams in the West Coast." I chuckled nostalgically. "I remember our team becoming the laughing stock after people saw Tone crying in a restroom at a bar the day after we lost her. But I'm grateful she's still here." I looked towards Spine Buster. "It sounds like Wylde's not the only friend you've lost."

"My father died skiing down Mt. Everest," Taro revealed.

"Yet you did the same. Twice."

"Every time I drive, I am reminded of him," Taro said. "Who he was… what he wanted me to be."

I looked at my scarred arm again. "I tried to forget about Maila at the time; thought of only myself."

The alarm began blaring once more.

* * *

_Nolo Pasaro_

Startled from sleep, as the adrenaline wore off, I just wanted to dig my head back in my pillow. _I don't know if I could bear any more of this…_

The door opened; Tork stuck his head in the opening. "Nolo, you coming?"

I looked at one of Shirako's photos of the four of us (sans Vert) prior to our kidnapping. Before we were caught in Tezla's ordeal, we never really gelled as a team, unlike the Maniacs. We were largely self-centered, only caring for ourselves. We had a revolving door of members come and go; nearly everyone disagreed with me, and Vert even thought he would be a better leader than I would be. But after we rescued Wylde, we felt more and more like a family; probably the closest since Maila was the leader of the Teku.

But it seemed like we were fracturing once more. Only Shirako was the closest to me; Karma was more devoted to her sister, while Vert was more focused on being Maila's wingman.

I did not want our teams to go back to the way things were.

Things would only get worse if we did nothing about it.

"Yeah, I'm coming," I said as I grabbed my coat and followed Tork.

* * *

_Shirako Takamoto_

The steady 4/4 rhythm of the bass playing in my headphones suddenly faded into silence.

"WAKE UP, STINKU!" Porkchop screamed, accidentally spitting on my face, shaking my shoulders like I was a ragdoll.

"Not cool, man," I said calmly before yawning.

"At least you didn't squash him like you did to me," Monkey commented.

* * *

_Vert Wheeler_

"You alright?" I asked Maila as we got to our cars.

"I've been this way for a while now," she said, looking down on the ground with a solemn look on her face. "I'm used to it."

"Maila, something has to change eventually," I said.

"I've given up on believing this world can change," Maila said before she looked at Karma getting in Drift Tech. "All that matters are the people that live in it."

"Maila…"

"I'm fine, Vert," Maila said.

For the first time, I felt worried for her. I had this sense that we were going to have to help _her_ rather than have her help us.

I hoped her bonds with both me and Karma would keep her strong. As much as I found her actions hard to stomach, the fact of the matter was that we needed her.

Nolo's words felt almost foreboding. Was there going to be another tragedy? Will we all make it this time?

Although the Drones were still losing, I knew they would not go down without a fight. I had a sense they were going to learn from all the losses they had so far, screaming for vengeance.

The Desert Realm made this war completely unpredictable. This was going to be the turning point.

"Vert…" Maila looked at me with her green eyes locked towards mine.

"Yes, Mai?"

"Nevermind," she said as she got in her car.

The first ring stopped, and the Blizzard Realm symbol illuminated.


End file.
